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CNN International: Trump, Biden Dominate Contests on Super Tuesday; Trump Racks Up Massive Wins in Super Tuesday GOP Races; Nikki Haley Comments on Divisions in Republican Party; Food Aid Airdropped Into Gaza Amid Extreme Malnutrition; Violent Gangs Launch Coordinated Attacks in Port-Au-Prince; High-States Confrontations Between China and Philippines; Ammunition Shortages Put Ukraine's Front Lines at Risk. Aired 4-4:30a ET

Aired March 06, 2024 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[04:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They call it Super Tuesday for a reason. This is a big one. Our states are dying, and frankly, our country is dying, and we're going to make America great again.

Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime, and that's Biden migrant crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The courts are not going to stop Donald Trump. No Republican is going to stop Donald Trump. This train is coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every vote matters. Both campaigns are going to have to fight hard for this win. Tonight, you know, the campaign started.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster and Bianca Nobilo.

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Max Foster.

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Bianca Nobilo. It's Wednesday, March 6, 9 a.m. here in London, 4 a.m. in Washington, where U.S. President Joe Biden appears closer to a 2020 rematch with Donald Trump in the presidential race this November, after both men dominated contests on Super Tuesday.

FOSTER: Among the last state's reporting results, Alaska, where CNN projects Trump, will win the Republican primary there. Trump is also projected to pick up a big win in delegate rich, California, a victory there for Biden as well.

NOBILO: The U.S. President is also heading for a win in Utah's Democratic race. He's so far won every Super Tuesday contest except American Samoa. And in just the last few minutes, CNN is projecting that Trump will win the Utah Republican caucuses.

There was one small prize in the night for Nikki Haley. CNN projects that she will win Vermont's Republican primary, where 17 delegates were at stake.

FOSTER: Despite that win, Trump has built a commanding lead in the delegate count over Haley, his only remaining Republican opponent, of course. But Trump didn't mention Haley during his victory speech, but did criticize President Biden and his immigration policies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have a very divided country. We have a country that a political person uses weaponization against his political opponent. Never happened here. It happens in other countries, but they're third- world countries. And in some ways, we're a third-world country. We're a third-world country at our borders, and we're a third-world country at our elections. And we have to stop that.

Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime, and that's Biden migrant crime. But it's a new category of crime, and it's violent, where they'll stand in the middle of the street and have fistfights with police officers. And if they did that in their countries from where they came, they'd be killed instantly. Instantly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Max, your thoughts?

FOSTER: I have thoughts. Well, it just doesn't feel to you like the beginning of the election now, because he's not talking about Haley. It's just Biden versus Trump, which is going to now be the story.

NOBILO: Yes, eight months out. I mean, they've both got unassailable positions now.

FOSTER: Yes.

NOBILO: It's very intriguing indeed. And Trump's really dominating the airwaves, and that we can expect to continue.

FOSTER: I think we will.

NOBILO: CNN's Kristen Holmes has been following all of these developments from Palm Beach, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I am told by Trump's senior advisors that they are now focusing solely on the general election.

The next couple of weeks, you should expect them to expand out their campaign operations in places like Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, states that they believe are high-priority battleground states. Now, we've seen a lot of polling that shows Donald Trump ahead in some of these states, but they are not taking any of this for granted. They do not believe that every single poll is completely accurate.

They believe that every vote is going to count and that any kind of rematch with President Joe Biden is going to be incredibly close.

So that's why you're seeing them start to build out this operation now. They also know that their candidate is incredibly polarizing. So that's something they have to work on.

Now, one of the things that I've been told by a senior advisor they're going to look into tonight is looking at some of the data sets and seeing how it could shape some of their strategy in these battleground states, particularly when you're looking at states like Virginia, not quite a battleground state. That more leans blue. But states like North Carolina, which, again, means a little bit red, but is still considered a purple or battleground state.

The other part of what you noticed tonight from Donald Trump was the fact that he stayed on message for Donald Trump. This is what his campaign advisors and what his allies want him to continue to do.

Not mentioning Nikki Haley, not going off into any rabbit holes, but instead focusing on immigration, the economy, and the general election. He even talked about unifying the party.

[04:05:00]

Now, of course, Donald Trump does not have a good track record when it comes to unifying the Republican Party. However, this is exactly what his campaign, his allies want him to continue to do as they head into November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Nikki Haley's campaign is reacting to her lone Super Tuesday win. CNN's Kylie Atwood has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nikki Haley's campaign responding to the results on Super Tuesday, saying that she is honored to have received the support of millions of Americans and going on to point out that she is the first woman to have won two presidential primary states.

Vermont is one of them. The District of Columbia is the other one. But the statement also went on to point out the fact that there is not unity within the Republican Party right now.

I want to read to you a bit of that, saying, quote: Today in state after state, there remains a large block of Republican primary voters who are expressing deep concerns about Donald Trump. That is not the unity our party needs for success. Addressing these voters' concerns will make the Republican Party and America better.

Now, this statement not saying when Nikki Haley plans to address the public. We know that on the eve of Super Tuesday, she has no plans to make public remarks, but we will watch for Wednesday to see if she comes out and speaks with her voters and tells them what the future of her campaign holds.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: While there wasn't any serious competition for U.S. President Joe Biden in the Tuesday primaries, it was an opportunity for him to take notes on his likely competition in November. CNN's MJ Lee breaks down the president's strategy as he continues his reelection bid.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As the Biden campaign has been watching Donald Trump sweep the evening, they have really been zeroing in on areas of weaknesses for Donald Trump, particularly with moderate voters, suburban voters, and of course, with Nikki Haley supporters.

Campaign officials I have been speaking to have been particularly interested in exit polls and anecdotal evidence that shows Nikki Haley supporters who have said either that they are unwilling to support Donald Trump come November or they're not willing to commit to supporting whoever the eventual GOP nominee ends up being.

Now, these voters in the view of Biden campaign officials are the so- called gettable or turned off by Donald Trump voters. And that second description is so important because Biden campaign officials don't think that Donald Trump has done himself any favors by continuing to use divisive and corrosive rhetoric.

And as you know, from our recent reporting, the president himself has very much directed his campaign aides to be even more aggressive in highlighting some of the more unhinged and erratic comments from Donald Trump.

Now, I should also note it goes without saying that this is really the beginning of the official start of the general election for the Biden campaign. As one senior campaign official put it to me earlier this evening, tonight really, really is important for starting to crystallize that choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden going into November.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Analysts and experts on both sides of the aisle have been weighing in after the results from Super Tuesday. And here is some of that reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASTEAD HERNDON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: If you are a person who is excited about Joe Biden or Donald Trump, you are in the minority.

The majority of Americans are seeing the results from Super Tuesday tonight and swallowing a very harsh reality that they are getting a 2024 election that's two candidates they don't prefer.

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: The courts are not going to stop Donald Trump. No Republican's going to stop Donald Trump. And now Donald Trump is not going to stop Donald Trump. All this racism, sexism, this train is coming. And Joe Biden has to stand up on Thursday and answer back. That's what's got to happen and he's going to do it.

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I worry that Democrats are betting too big on abortion being an animating issue. Trump's going to find a way to moderate on it. And at the end of the day, voters recognize Biden's in the White House right now and he cannot restore your reproductive rights. So you're not getting those back necessarily by voting for him, you're just supporting someone who happens to agree with you on the issue.

MATT MOWERS, FORMER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Tonight was about Trump, the policies. You know, you ask Republican primary voters, the ones who aren't big MAGA fans, you don't love the tweets, you don't love the style. What do they say? They say, I don't like the personality, but I like the policies. Give me the judges. Give me the tax cuts. Give me the energy regulations and reforms. Give me the immigration control that we saw.

And that's what I talked about. I mean, talk about crime, immigration, and energy. If he stays on that message, he's winning those suburban Republican voters who went for Nikki Haley tonight. He's on his way to winning the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: We'll have much more later this hour on the Super Tuesday results. About 20 minutes from now, Thomas Giff, director of the U.S. Center of Politics at University College London, will be here to explain what all of this means when we look ahead to that November election.

At least three people have been killed in southern Lebanon as Israel and Hezbollah continue their attacks on each other. According to state media, a couple and their son were killed when Israeli airstrikes hit their farm near the border.

[04:10:00]

FOSTER: Israel says it targeted Hezbollah launch sites after the militant group fired dozens of rockets on Tuesday, with about 10 of them intercepted.

More countries airdropped desperately needed food aid into northern Gaza on Tuesday, as only a limited amount of aid is being allowed in by Israel. NOBILO: The U.S. and Jordan sent the equivalent of about 37,000 meals,

while the UAE and Egypt delivered 42 tons of food and medical supplies.

FOSTER: The U.N. says a convoy of 14 trucks carrying food aid to the north was turned away by Israeli forces. The World Health Organization says malnutrition levels in Gaza's north are particularly extreme, and roughly three times higher than in the south.

NOBILO: A U.N. panel of experts on Tuesday accused Israel of, quote, intentionally starving the Palestinian people.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official accuses Israel of stalling negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for more hostages. He says there can be no exchange of prisoners until there is a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

NOBILO: But America's top diplomat says it is on Hamas to accept an immediate truce, a sentiment echoed by President Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The hostage deal is in the hands of Hamas right now, because they've been an offer, a rational offer. The Israelis have agreed to it, and we're waiting to see what the Hamas does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Negotiators are scrambling to reach a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, beginning in less than a week.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, a group of protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, calling on President Biden to help secure a deal that could see the release of hostages.

NOBILO: CNN's Scott McLean joins us now. Scott, what more can you tell us about the current state of the hostage talks?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Max, Bianca, hello. Look, it is hard to be optimistic about the state of affairs right now, considering that one of the parties of this conflict is not even in the room for these talks taking place in Cairo right now. The Israelis declined to send a delegation because they said that Hamas had not responded to two of its latest demands. One being providing a list of hostages who are dead and hostages who are currently alive, and also confirmation of an agreement on the hostage-to-prisoner exchange ratio that would happen in any potential deal.

Hamas says that Israel hasn't engaged with its core demands, which is that any ceasefire needs to be permanent, that there needs to be a complete withdrawal, and that people displaced from the northern part of Gaza should be able to return. All things that, frankly, fly in the face of recent Israeli statements on this issue. They continue to insist that, look, any pause in the fighting is going to be temporary. The war will continue afterwards until Hamas is completely destroyed.

And there are even problems with the American proposal being floated, something that the White House says that the Israelis have basically agreed to, which would involve a six-week ceasefire in exchange for vulnerable hostages being released, women, children -- or sorry, women, elderly people, injured and sick people.

But Hamas hasn't been engaging on what the actual definition of a vulnerable person in that kind of a deal might actually be. And obviously, they want to see a permanent ceasefire, not a temporary one.

So that's the state of affairs right now. The Egyptian state media is saying that there are difficulties, which seems to be an understatement.

FOSTER: Scott, in terms of, obviously, Benny Gantz is Netanyahu's main rival. He's going to come to the U.K. today. It's a controversial trip, isn't it? Because Netanyahu says he's not representing the government. So what's he hoping to achieve when he meets David Cameron, for example, today?

MCLEAN: Yes, it seems like, frankly, the U.S. and the U.K., Israel's primary allies, are running out of patience with their pleas to allow more aid in. And David Cameron told The Guardian yesterday that patience needs to run very thin. He said a series of warnings need to be given, starting with his meeting with Benny Gantz. He says that the aid that arrived in Gaza, that was allowed into Gaza in February, was half of what it was in January, that they're in a situation where, obviously, there is malnutrition, there is famine, there is the risk of, now, disease, as well.

And one of his complaints is that the Israelis are claiming that some of this aid that's being delivered is dual use, dual military use, something that he wants to see not happen. And there are similar complaints from the Americans, as well, who seem to be getting increasingly desperate.

You mentioned already the airdrops that have been taking place, something that should be deeply embarrassing, considering that the Americans are Israel's best friends, their closest allies, and they can't even get aid into Gaza, a territory that Israel controls, beyond just sending it in through airlifts.

They are also considering a maritime corridor for aid.

[04:15:00]

They are calling for an immediate ceasefire at the U.N. Security Council, something that is a shift in their policy. And, obviously, they allowed Prime Minister Netanyahu's chief rival in Israel, Benny Gantz, a member of the War Cabinet, to come and meet with high-ranking officials.

The American argument is that, look, he is a contender to be the next prime minister of Israel. He is an important member of the War Cabinet.

And, frankly, the U.S., and now it seems Britain, as well, are running out of ways or running out of ideas to pressure the Israeli government into doing more to avert this humanitarian catastrophe that we're in the midst of right now.

FOSTER: OK. Scott McLean in Istanbul. Thank you so much.

NOBILO: Criminal gangs in Haiti have launched coordinated attacks on police stations in the capital, and Haitian armed forces have reportedly been deployed to protect the airport, which is now also under attack.

FOSTER: The police academy in Port-au-Prince, where hundreds of cadets are stationed, has also been targeted.

And now, Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, reports widespread injuries in the capital after a weekend of violence.

NOBILO: In time, Haiti's prime minister, or acting prime minister Ariel Henry, landed in Puerto Rico on Tuesday after unsuccessfully trying to get home to Haiti through the neighboring Dominican Republic. CNN's Caitlin Hu recently returned from Haiti and has more on this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAITLIN HU, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, DIGITAL INTERNATIONAL: After days of speculation about his whereabouts, Haiti's leader Ariel Henry has appeared in nearby Puerto Rico, according to a local government spokesperson. His plane landed in what would appear to be an attempt to reach his own country, where gang violence is currently exploding. Henry has not been seen in public since last week when he visited Kenya to sign an agreement on a mission intended to help Haiti's police beat back the gangs.

But around the same time that deal was signed, the same gangs launched a wave of coordinated attacks on capital city Port-au-Prince. And according to the leader of one gang coalition, Jimmy Cherizier, who goes by the name Barbecue, the attacks are intended to overthrow Henry's government.

The attacks have targeted state institutions, the gangs have burned down police stations and broken into two prisons, releasing thousands of prisoners. And they've also targeted the airport, where it seems they're waiting for Henry's return.

Security sources say the level of coordination between previously warring gangs is unprecedented. This time they're using each other's territories to launch attacks, for example.

And amid the chaos, Haiti's government has declared a state of emergency. The neighboring Dominican Republic has stopped all flights connecting to Haiti.

Meanwhile, the civilian toll is rising. The United Nations says thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, and that adds to the over 300,000 who had already been displaced by gang violence before this escalation.

Caitlin Hu, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Ahead, CNN witnesses violent confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. We'll have a report from on board a Philippine vessel.

FOSTER: Plus, Ukraine is hurting on the battlefield, but they're striking at Russian targets in the Black Sea and hitting their marks.

NOBILO: And later, a devastating coal blast in Pakistan leaves dozens dead and houses buried in the snow.

[04:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Coast Guard vessels from China and the Philippines collided in the disputed waters of the South China Sea on Tuesday. The Philippines has accused China of executing dangerous maneuvers.

FOSTER: But China claims it took control measures against the Philippines' vessel. Ivan Watson went aboard a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea. And he's got this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is just after sunrise. And as you may see, there is a large Chinese Coast Guard ship directly in front of this Philippines Coast Guard vessel.

And we've been watching this over the course of the last hour. These are supposed to be international waterways with free passage. I'm aboard this Philippines Coast Guard ship that was part of a convoy of four vessels that were headed towards a place called the Second Thomas Shoal.

And before dawn, all of a sudden, these Philippine ships were swarmed by much larger and many more Chinese ships. There are more off to our port bow. These are not marked like the Chinese Coast Guard ships, but they're clearly operating with them and operating in very close proximity to this Philippines Coast Guard ship.

In fact, I've seen them in the past cutting this off. And what they've succeeded in doing is not only pretty much stopping our ship in its tracks, but it has separated this ship from the other boats in the Philippines convoy, which included two small resupply vessels that were trying to get to the Second Thomas Shoal. Now, part of what is at play here is a territorial dispute. That

shoal, the Philippines claims, is part of its economic exclusion zone. China, though it is much further geographically from this area, claims it for itself and clearly tries to stop Philippine ships from getting to it.

We're completely encircled by a fleet of Chinese ships, at least 14 that I've counted. And moments ago, the Chinese Coast Guard ships were blasting a Philippines resupply vessel with water cannons. It is clearly, by swarming this ship, a show of force and a show of intimidation. And it is physically stopping vessels from another country from being able to move forward through this international waterway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: Ivan comes now from Palawan in the Philippines after spending two days in the South China Sea aboard that Coast Guard ship. It's absolutely fascinating to see how it's all playing out there. Because this is of global importance, Ivan.

WATSON (on camera): It sure is. And it illustrates just how China historically has refused to recognize the claims of smaller countries here in the South China Sea, like the Philippines. And has been able to use its vast resources, as the world's second largest economy, to do things like simply build man-made islands on some of these contested shoals.

The Philippines, which does not nearly have the kind of resources that China has, has had to respond with a really improvisational strategy.

What they did was ground a World War II era ship on this specific contested shoal, the Second Thomas Shoal. And that's where they're keeping a group of Filipino Marines to try to not give up that piece of maritime territory to China.

So what we saw here were the Philippine ships trying to run this much larger Chinese gauntlet and only succeeding halfway. Only one of their boats got through.

We also saw just the sheer, China boasts the world's largest navy. And it can put them to use to try to stop a smaller power like the Philippines.

Beijing has since come out and accused the Philippines of being dishonest, of deliberately stirring up trouble, of maliciously inciting and sensationalizing events.

Meanwhile, a top security official here in the Philippines has responded and said defiantly, quote: If it is the hope of China to weaken Philippine resolve, they will be sorely disappointed because we will never be deterred from exercising our legal rights.

And I might point out, Max, that within the last 10 years, an international court of arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines and its claims to these contested shoals. [04:25:00]

China has responded to that historic resolution, that decision declaring the court and its decision null and void. And we'll just have to see in the coming weeks and months if this will continue. It is very dangerous, I might say, having been on board one of these ships and seeing these huge ships kind of playing chicken with each other.

Something could very easily go wrong and you could have a tragedy taking place out at sea. Fortunately, that is not what happened yesterday -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Ivan, thank you so much for bringing us that.

Now, Ukraine is struggling on the battlefield, but it's claiming success in the Black Sea, so much that Ukraine's president says there's no longer any safe harbor for Russia there.

NOBILO: Ukraine's military intelligence agency says it struck this Russian patrol ship with a drone on Tuesday. The Sergey Kotov has been the target of Ukrainian attacks before.

But a spokesperson for Ukraine's defense intelligence agency says this time the ship was, quote, destroyed for sure.

FOSTER: Ukraine says it has now disabled a third of Russia's Black Sea fleet. And Volodymir Zelenskyy calls that a sign of Ukrainian might.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMIR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russian killers will be held accountable, and that's for sure. Today, I want to thank all of our soldiers, all the units that restore security and control both in the Ukrainian skies and in our Black Sea. We in Ukraine proved what we are capable of, what power we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)\

NOBILO: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two of Russia's top military commanders. The court is going after Sergei Korbelyash, a lieutenant general in the Russian armed forces, and Viktor Sokolov, an admiral in the Russian Navy.

FOSTER: The ICC says they are responsible for war crimes such as directing attacks on Ukrainian civilians, causing excessive harm to civilians, and for committing inhumane acts, which is a crime against humanity. The court's top prosecutor says it'll pursue justice at all costs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIM KHAN, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT PROSECUTOR: The message is clear. We will continue to investigate in Ukraine, go deeper, and we will not hesitate to bring further applications if and when the evidence requires us to do so. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: Russia, like the U.S., Ukraine, and China, is not a member of the ICC. And not long ago, the Kremlin responded to the warrants saying it doesn't recognize them. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: A profound development, really, in the war in Ukraine. Two key Russian military commanders, both functioning in the Black Sea area, issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court.

Two of them both accused of being involved in attacks on civilian infrastructure and essentially the damage that has caused to the civilian population, essentially killing innocent civilians here.

The warrant points to two individuals, Admiral Viktor Sokolov and another man, Lieutenant General Sergei Korbelyash, both of whom were key commanders in the Black Sea. The warrant suggests during the last couple of years, while much munitions fired against civilian areas were initially originating from the Black Sea fleet.

That Black Sea fleet itself, though, targeted by Ukraine over the past hours. The Ukrainian intelligence service suggested they managed to take out a patrol ship called the Sergei Kotov that cost $65 million, they said.

Another example of how Ukraine has begun to project its force into areas that Moscow would normally have considered to be its safe territory. These outlying suggestions of Ukrainian strategic success.

It comes at a time of extraordinary trouble for Ukraine here near the Eastern Front, where I'm standing. You can hear the distant rumble of explosions far away from me. Really, Ukraine is struggling to hold the defensive line it said it would be able to maintain after it pulled out of the town of Avdiivka about two weekends ago.

Avdiivka had been fought over for months, and Ukraine said that it had voluntarily pulled back. It gave up a number of villages in its retreat, and it said it would hold another three villages, those villages themselves under significant Russian repeated, persistent assault. Russia would throw extraordinary resources at these particular objectives, and Ukraine, I think, on the best of days, struggling to suggest that it has that fight calmed entirely.

It's significant because if we do see Russia continue to put pressure on Ukrainian front lines around me here, there are minimal signs that there is another back defensive line prepared for Ukraine to be able to hold. And so we are dealing with a very complex time for Ukraine at this moment. They're able to project success in the Black Sea.

Yes, they even suggested in the recent days they hit a bridge 500 miles inside Russia.

[04:30:00]

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they took 15 fighter jets out of the sky in February alone. They are doing things that nobody felt they could do at the start of the war, but the one thing they're not able to do right now is hold key parts of the Donbass front line because they haven't got the munitions they need from the West. And that is because of the hold-up in Republican-held Congress. No sign of that changing at all, and we hear from Ukrainian fighters on the front line here that it's simply a matter of life and death until that changes. And already the resurgence of Russia is changing the front-line calculus daily.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, eastern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)