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President Biden has Left Kyiv after Meeting with Zelenskyy; Jimmy Carter to Spend Remaining Time in Home Hospice Care; Norfolk Southern CEO Defense Actions, Returns to Ohio Today. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired February 20, 2023 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:04]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Freedom is priceless. It's worth fighting for, for as long it takes, and that's how long we're going to be with you, Mr. President, for as long as it takes.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: What a moment. What a day. We are so glad you are with us here. Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow here with Sara Sidner in New York. This is CNN THIS MORNING. Kaitlan Collins is anchoring live in Warsaw, Poland. She has some new reporting. So Kaitlan, let's begin with you. What are you hearing?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Obviously, we are learning details about the details, what happened behind this visit, how the White House is planning this. It was obviously kept secret until President Biden was on the ground. Poppy and Sara, he was actually on the ground for some time before we had the White House confirm that he was there. But we're learning that it was months of planning that actually went into this. Only a handful of aides from different agencies that were involved in this. Obviously, they wanted to keep it an incredibly close hold because it is such a sensitive visit.

And what we're learning from the White House is that it was last Friday when President Biden made the final decision that, yes, he was going to be going into this active war zone right around the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That's when he decided to go. He went in with an incredibly small contingent. Typically, the president can take over a dozen staffers with him somewhere, a huge security contingent. But we are now learning that he went with a small medical staff, a photographer, only a handful of staffers were there with him as the president was going in, meeting with President Zelenskyy. And that's a meeting that involved a briefing from President Zelenskyy's team on what they believe they're going to need in the coming months, what that is going to look like, and what they'll need with that expected Russian offensive that's supposed to happen this spring.

We're covering all angles of this morning. Clarissa Ward is live in Kyiv. Phil Mattingly is here in Warsaw with me. Chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto is standing by in Washington. Clarissa, I want to start with you, because you're on the ground here. You're on the ground in Kyiv, adds the president was making that visit there. He got that briefing from Zelenskyy's team. What is the message he's hearing from them? What are they saying that they need and that they need now?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message that they've been saying over and over again, which was reiterated again today, Kaitlan, is that they are deeply appreciative and grateful for the support, but that they desperately need long- range artillery, fighter jets, heavier weaponry in order to finish off this war. There has been a real concern that the fighting in Bakhmut and the east of Ukraine particularly has not been going very well, with Russia just willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands and thousands of its soldiers and young men, who are fighting there. And Ukraine really struggling to maintain the momentum that they had gained from various successful counteroffensives that they had towards the end of last year.

It was an exceptional moment, I will say, Kaitlan, we were watching to see President Biden and President Zelenskyy walk out of this historic church here in central Kyiv. They came into the main square, St. Michael's Square here. You can see there's a lot of journalists still around. Also, a lot of people have been coming to take photographs. Those are Russian tanks that have been destroyed in battle here. And they came out, linked up with two Ukrainian soldiers who were carrying wreaths, and then they walked solemnly behind those two Ukrainian soldiers, and went over here to lay the wreaths. And you can see, probably, if we look, one of them with the Ukrainian colors, and then the one beyond it with the U.S. flag.

President Biden and President Zelenskyy then stood together. They embraced. President Biden then got into the extremely large motorcade and left. The whole thing happened in the space of 10 minutes, five minutes inside the church, five minutes outside the church. Air raid sirens began wailing just before they exited the church. So it was somewhat of a tense moment. You can imagine the level of planning that went into it, as you just alluded to.

But the feeling on the ground, I can't stress to you enough. I've been talking to lots of different people from different walks of life, and they say over and over again, this was amazing. This was a wow moment for people. It caused a little chaos in the city because everything was brought to a standstill, traffic was completely cut off, particularly in these central areas.

[08:05:04]

But there's gratitude for the support, and also, I think, a much- needed boost of morale to see the president come here. And that really delivers a message, not just that we support you, but that you've got this, you can do this, and we will be with you in it until the end. HARLOW: Jim, let me bring you in here, because the question now,

after President Biden said to President Zelenskyy, whatever it takes, is, well, what does that really mean in terms of additional long-range missiles, in terms of F-16s, if the U.S. is going to provide that. So there's the question of what the U.S. will do, Jim. But there is equally the question of what's China going to do. And this is another area of your expertise, given what Secretary of State Blinken said over the weekend about real concern that China may be providing or about to provide Russia with lethal support.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It's a great point, Poppy. That was quite a moment this weekend, because for a year, we're nearly a year into this war now, just a few days shy, China has not provided that support, and the U.S. has been watching very closely. And to hear from the U.S. secretary of state that they now believe China is considering providing lethal support to Russia would be a marked qualitative change for that, well, growing alliance, frankly, between Russia and China, and quite an aggressive move by China given how badly the war is going for Russia, but one that would certainly, it would seem, lengthen the war, right.

Folks are looking for a light at the end of the tunnel here. The Ukrainians, as Clarissa was noting, they feel that they're just shy of being able to win this, that they just need a few more weapons, a few more categories of weapons, longer-range rockets and missiles, fighter jets, et cetera, they're getting tanks. They feel that they're just shy of winning this thing and bringing it to a close. For China to come in might very well lengthen it.

Now, President Biden did come to Kyiv with something, as you will often see on visits like this, and that is an aid package that includes Javelin missiles, more ammunition. Ukraine has been burning through that very fast, but not the fighter jets, this sort of next category of weapons that Ukrainians are asking for now.

But the finer point I would just make is that, is that this is a visit to a war zone by a U.S. president unlike one we've seen really for decades. I mean, to go to Iraq and Afghanistan, those were significant moments for Bush and Obama, but those were war zones with the U.S. military in action and at least in the field they were going, exercising some sort of control. This is Kyiv. The U.S. military is not active there. It is an active war zone. It was quite a decision by this president to go to Kyiv in wartime.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Jim Sciutto, thank you for that analysis. And I know you've been there since before the war started and have been there on and off ever since.

Let's go now to Phil Mattingly, who is also following the president and is in Poland at this point in time. Phil, I'm curious what you're hearing, not just from the White House, but we're already seeing some reaction from the GOP. And Representative Scott Perry said this in a tweet, "Breathtaking that President Biden can show up in Ukraine to ensure their border is secure but can't do the same for America." Are you hearing anything else from other members of the Republican Party that are so stinging, perhaps petty? PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think today

will be a really good day in terms of -- a really effective day in demonstrating where people stand on this issue and those who are taking it from a serious perspective, I think to some degree, right? And that's not in any way to mark in a pejorative those who have questions about the United States support for Ukraine, the scale of the support, just how much is gone over the course of the last year, but it does get to the point where there is an element, and it's not just Republicans, there are some Democrats as well, there is an element that has significant concerns about the scale of assistance that has gone to Ukraine.

Then there's an element within that element that doesn't really care about it at all, they just like the political issue and want to use it as an attack line. I think that's what you heard in the tweet that you read. The broader group that have concerns, would like it to be better accounted for, would like more of it to be directed back to the domestic front, that is an element that I think, one, has vice inside the Republican Conference in the House, in particular, but also perhaps is more reflective of the American people in the sense that we have seen polling for this, support for this war, while it is still significant, it has started to wane over the course of the war.

The broader point, though, is on a bipartisan basis, when you look at the members of Congress that matter, that make decisions, that hold chairmanships, to a person, regardless of party, they are supportive of the U.S. support for Ukraine. They are supportive of the scale of assistance. Oftentimes, they are driving the administration to move faster on the scale of what they're willing to consider and what they're willing to send.

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And I think that the president's visit, as much as this was a message to the world, as much as this was a message to Ukrainians, it was also a message to the American people. The administration knows that support for this war and their ability to continue to push for U.S. assistance to this war only lasts as long as the domestic political support lasts. They know that it has dropped somewhat. They know it is still maintained in a majority basis, and they understand the critical leaders inside Congress, regardless of party, are very much behind them on this.

However, it is incumbent upon them to continue to show, one, that it's effective, two, that there's a broader purpose here, and, three, give the American people a reason to continue supporting it. So this is a very long way of getting back to your origin point there, where there will be political backlash to this. Whether it comes from members of Congress that matter, I think, is what you should pay most attention to, but the purpose of this was just as much to speak to the domestic audience knowing that support on the home front in polling politically is just as important given how long this is likely to last as it is the message to the world.

SIDNER: Yes, also a huge message to President Putin, who is about to come in front of his own country and have to address the state of the union there. It is a remarkable timing, as well. Thank you so much to Clarissa, Jim, and Phil. Let's now turn to the Russian perspective on this.

HARLOW: Fred Pleitgen joins us from Moscow. Fred, we've learned Kaitlan's reporting, also Kevin Liptak on our White House team, and this is according to Jake Sullivan in the Biden White House, that hours before the president left for this unannounced visit to Ukraine, they informed the Russian government of the plans that he would visit the Ukrainian capital for, quote, deconfliction purposes. What is their response to that, and also the just the sense you're getting being on the ground in Moscow?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Poppy, it's all over Russian media, this visit by U.S. President Biden to Ukraine. The way the Russians have been trying to frame this is essentially they are saying that they're in a war not with Ukraine, but against the west and specifically against the United States. And there certainly are some commentators out there who are saying exactly that right now, saying, look, President Biden on the ground there shows that this is a war between Russia and the west, Russia and the United States, rather than just Russia and Ukraine.

So this is certainly something that feeds into their narrative. And of course, also very important with the fact that President Vladimir Putin of Russia is set to give a giant speech here tomorrow which everybody here in Moscow sees as absolutely key. We're certain that he is going to try and rally the Russian Navy behind what he calls the special military operation. And this visit certainly is something that could play into that as well.

Now, as far as Jake Sullivan saying that they informed the Russians before coming here, that is actually also something that I've been monitoring over the past hour-and-a-half or so, because Russian media is playing that up as well. They are talking about that. We don't have anything from the Kremlin specifically, but there certainly are some hardline Russian military journalists out there who are absolutely angry about this and said Vladimir Putin should never have allowed President Biden to come to Moscow. And there's one who even said that he believes that President Biden could probably go all the way to Bakhmut without seeing any trouble from the Russian military.

So there is some criticism of Vladimir Putin. But if you look at some of these hardline reporters, hardline commentators, a lot of them feel that Vladimir Putin needs to be even tougher, even more brutal than he has been so far. But I do think, guys, that it is absolutely key to point out to our viewers that right now, from the perspective that we're getting here in Moscow, there is absolutely nothing to indicate that Vladimir Putin is anywhere near backing down. In fact, it seems to us as though the Russians are doubling down. And certainly what we expect here this entire week is a lot of patriotic narratives coming from the Russian president, and certainly him trying to rally the Russian nation. And they believe that in the long run, they will be able to overpower the Ukrainians, and they also believe that they'll be able to outlast the United States and European allies. So that's something that's really important, I think, to keep in perspective, that right now the Russians nowhere near backing down at this point, guys.

HARLOW: Fred Pleitgen live for us in Moscow, thank you very, very much.

And Kaitlan, having covered the Biden White House so closely, I think this reporting that you and Kevin Liptak had is fascinating, that the president decided Friday, thought the risk was manageable, according to Jake Sullivan, and instructed his team to make it happen despite changing circumstances.

COLLINS: It's all about the risk here. And I can tell you, the Secret Service is probably not thrilled about this trip. This is something that the president said when he was here in Poland, about 11 months ago, he said he wanted to go to Ukraine, but they had told him that it just wasn't doable, and they, obviously, being a reference to the people who are tasked with protecting his life. And so it is significant for him to go into this active war zone. There's barely any embassy staff there. There is no U.S. military presence there. And so to have him go and not even go on Air Force One, to take a 10-hour train ride, it is a big decision for the White House.

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I thought it was interesting that Jake Sullivan said that the President knew he was only going to have a little bit of time on the ground. He wanted to make the most of it with President Zelenskyy and was really focused on what that conversation would look alike.

SIDNER: Yes, I think it is really -- it's significant and you talk about the fact that he's on the train. Well, we know when I was there, the trains were bombarded by Russia, knocked off the tracks, blown up.

So there is a real concern here that if they knew where he was exactly, you know, they could have done something really, really aggressive.

Thank you so much to you, Kaitlan there in Warsaw.

Now to some other news. This morning, former President Jimmy Carter is beginning hospice care at his home in Georgia. This comes just four months after he celebrated his 98th birthday.

Carter has lived longer than any other US President. He's had several health issues in recent years, and our CNN's Eva McKend is joining us now live from Plains, Georgia, where he is resting comfortably with family.

EVAN MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS REPORTER: Yes, good morning to you, Sara. As we were driving into Plains yesterday afternoon, the first thing that we saw was a man on a stepladder, painting a large peanut statue. This was a prop that was part of Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, and he told me, he has been meaning to get out here for weeks to touch up this statue, but felt a real sense of urgency in the wake of learning about Carter in hospice care to get this done, out of tribute and honor to him.

That is how this town is responding.

Carter, just an immense sense of pride in this community for him. We are within spitting distance of where he went to school, or very close to a train depot that was actually also the site of his campaign headquarters. And we're not far from his family home, a home that he built in the 1960s and continues to live in today.

So a lot of pride here that the 39th President is from this town, but also many folks here are really just praying for their neighbor. Take a listen.

Okay, so that was -- okay, so we don't have that soundbite there, but we did speak to Michael Dominic, who recalled that the former President was a frequent staple at community events, and was a deep man of faith, and it is that faith, Sara that the Carter family and the residents here are leaning on during this difficult time -- Sara.

SIDNER: Eva McKend, thank you so much.

And I think no one will ever look at President Carter and not say that he was perhaps the most effective post President...

HARLOW: Post.

SIDNER: ... that we have ever had, especially with his work for Habitat for Humanity.

HARLOW: Yes, and peace around the world. Right?

SIDNER: Yes.

HARLOW: Okay, we will have a lot more on him ahead.

SIDNER: Officials in East Palestine, Ohio say the air and water are safe after the toxic train derailment, but residents there say the way they feel proves otherwise. We'll speak to one woman who lives just miles from where that terrible crash site is and how her family is feeling this morning.

HARLOW: Also the latest President Biden's surprise visit to Ukraine, Kaitlan will speak with a top White House Security official live from Warsaw, Poland.

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[08:21:51]

HARLOW: Welcome back.

Norfolk Southern CEO, Alan Shaw heads back to Ohio today after one of his company's trains carrying hazardous material derailed two weeks ago in East Palestine, Ohio. That led to a controlled burn of chemicals creating contaminants and really scaring residents there.

They are now questioning if it is safe for them to live there, to drink the water, what it means for their kids. Our Jason Carroll reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Two weeks after the Norfolk Southern train derailment and the controlled release of chemicals by the company that followed, residents in East Palestine, Ohio are increasingly worried about what's in their air, water, and soil.

HEATHER MC'TEER TONEY, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND: When we think about the chemicals that we know have been released, they are known carcinogens. Vinyl chloride is a carcinogen.

We have to look at the health impacts to our vulnerable populations.

DOUG MASTRIANO (R), PENNSYLVANIA STATE SENATE: I'm Senator Doug Mastriano. I am south of East Palestine, Ohio, Ground Zero for the --

CARROLL (voice over): Public health concerns now shared by a former gubernatorial candidate and current State Senator in the neighboring State of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano.

MASTRIANO: Look at these chemicals. Look at these colors. The chemicals -- and it has kind of a butane smell to it.

CARROLL (voice over): The Governor of Ohio says air quality tests in more than 500 homes showed no detection of contaminants. Officials also say public water is safe while private well water users should stick with bottled water for now.

Despite those guarantees, the toxic chemical spill is still causing uproar and criticism directed at Norfolk Southern.

SEN. SHERROD BROWN (D-OH): Everything that's happened here, all the cleanup, all the drilling, all the testing, all the hotel stays -- all of that is on Norfolk Southern. They caused it. There is no question they caused it with this derailment.

CARROLL (voice over): In addition to the thousands of fish found dead after the derailment, CNN has learned that two horses are being treated for smoke inhalation after the controlled burn according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Standing by their decision, Norfolk Southern CEO says the burn was the right thing to do.

ALAN SHAW, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NORFOLK SOUTHERN: I think we did what we needed to do in order to prevent an uncontrolled explosion.

CARROLL (voice over): The Federal government has deployed medical experts to help assess health concerns. People in this community have been reporting problems such as rashes and nausea.

The CDC also confirmed it will send a team to assess public health needs. But that is not stopping what some are calling the Biden

administration's slow response to the disaster. On Sunday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded with a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO writing: "Major derailments in the past have been followed by calls for reform and by vigorous resistance by your industry to increase safety measures, this must change."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (on camera): And Poppy starting tomorrow, the church that you see behind me will be the site of a clinic that is being set up so residents who are experiencing symptoms can come here and get themselves checked out.

Ohio's Governor says that this is being done out of an abundance of caution, but also to meet the needs of the people here in the community.

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HARLOW: Jason, just before you go, and thank you for that reporting out, what's the reaction been to folks on the ground to that open letter that Alan Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern wrote?

CARROLL: I have to tell you, there is so much distrust here on the ground. People can say what they want, but one woman that I was texting with over the phone, she says words at this point, "mean nothing to her." What they want to see is some action and when it comes to action, they're just not believing. There is just this disconnect between what the Federal and the State's officials are saying about the water and their air being safe and what the people here on the ground believe.

HARLOW: Yes, Jason Carroll, thank you again for being on the ground with that reporting -- Sara.

SIDNER: Thanks, Poppy.

Joining us now is Kelly Izotic. She lives in East Palestine and recently bought her home there. It's just a couple of miles from the derailment site. Thank you so much for coming on CNN THIS MORNING.

KELLY IZOTIC, EAST PALESTINE, OHIO RESIDENT: Thanks for having me.

SIDNER: Can you first tell me the easiest thing, we want to know how you're feeling?

IZOTIC: The headaches when you're home are pretty much nonstop. They're awful. Also, if you're outside for more than 15 to 20 minutes, you start feeling the congestion and heaviness in your chest.

I take showers, we have well water. My skin burns. It's really devastating.

SIDNER: That is completely awful. So you've said headaches are pretty much nonstop. You said when you take showers, it feels like the water is burning you and that's not from the heat. That's from something you think in the water, one of the chemicals there.

IZOTIC: Absolutely.

SIDNER: And people have complained of nausea, rashes. Do you believe the officials, whether it is from the train company or from the government that say, everything is fine, the air is fine, we've tested it, the water is fine, we've tested it.

IZOTIC: The problem is the testing methods that they're using. You know, they're pulling a 250-milliliter sample. You just -- you can't find what you're not looking for. And, you know, water and contamination, they are never in equilibrium.

And this testing method is just -- it's not going to get an accurate read. They're going to read false for non-detects every time.

SIDNER: It sounds like you're frustrated as anyone would be. You've just purchased a house. We know what kind of burden that puts on your shoulders. Can you give me a sense of what you saw on your property? Because you took some pictures on your property after all this happened?

IZOTIC: Yes.

SIDNER: What did you see? And what did you take pictures of?

IZOTIC: We have a 14-acre property with a creek that runs through our woods. Two days after, we were finding oil through the creek, or I should say an oil sheen over on top of the water through the creek.

There were also, I don't know if you have the video of the bubbles. They were all through the creek. Now a normal healthy ecosystem from the breakdown of organic matter will get like a foamy bubbly substance here and there in the creek. This is a totally different kind of bubble. This is a gaseous substance. We're not sure what. But that was all through the creek as well as a lot of sludge.

SIDNER: You like many residents there are extremely concerned as you should be. We all know the story of Erin Brockovich, we all know the story of the history of lying that has happened by whether it be corporations or the government itself.

But I do want to ask you this, are you satisfied in any way with the communication that you've been getting from either State officials or Federal officials like the EPA?

IZOTIC: No, it's been absolutely pathetic. The fact that this soaked in and burned for two straight days before they decided to even do anything about it, and then they did their controlled burn, where was the EPA for that? I'm sorry, but the EPA should have been involved from the minute this train derailed.

They said they didn't know what chemicals were on that train. That was a complete lie because anybody that works with chemicals knows that they have a complete manifest as to what and where those chemicals are and how much. SIDNER: They are certainly supposed to, and we will try to get to the

bottom of that for you. I have spoken ad nauseam with the EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, who has been trying to deal with water issues across the country. And so we will try to get on the phone and get some answers for you.

I do want to read Norfolk Southern's statement, the CEO said: "We are working closely with Ohio Environmental and Health Agencies on the long-term plan to protect the environment and the community. We are going to do the work thoroughly, completely, and safely."

Do you believe them?

[08:30:17]