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Biden Agrees "in Principle" to Meet Putin If There's No Further Invasion into Ukraine; EU Foreign Ministers Meet Amid Calls for Russia Sanctions; Wisconsin Badgers Outpunches Michigan Wolverines 77-63 to Win Game. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired February 21, 2022 - 05:00   ET

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

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LAURA JARRETT, ANCHOR, EARLY START: Good morning, everyone, it is Monday, February 21st. It's Presidents Day here in the U.S, it's 5:00 a.m. here in New York, thanks so much for getting an early start with me, I'm Laura Jarrett, Christine has the day off. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.

We begin this week with growing certainty that Russia's Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and expanding efforts at diplomacy to deter such an invasion. President Biden has now agreed in principle to sit down with Putin so long as Russia does not invade Ukraine. But U.S. officials tell CNN, no concrete plans have been made for this meeting, which was brokered by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Meantime, U.S. officials say new Intelligence shows Russian commanders have now orders to proceed with an attack on Ukraine. And new satellite images show Russian military activity near Ukraine's northeast border is rapidly intensifying. Here is Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on what this all means for the people on the ground.

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LLOYD AUSTIN, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, UNITED STATES: You could see a significant amount of combat power move very quickly now to take Kyiv. So in terms of the types of things that could happen, one only need to look at what's on the other side of the Ukrainian border. If he employs that kind of combat power, it will certainly create enormous casualties within the civilian population.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: Enormous casualties. Let's bring in international security editor Nick Paton Walsh who is live for us in Ukraine this morning. Nick, what are the Ukrainians supposed to make of this? Will they or won't they business? All these increasingly certain predictions of a U.S. invasion, but coupled with all this very high-level diplomacy?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, I mean, it is diplomacy that's on the forefoot today. It seems the French President Emmanuel Macron very optimistic that he can engineer this Biden-Putin summit. But we have to also point out that the Kremlin have said there are no concrete plans for that at the moment, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be talking to his security council today.

So here in Ukraine, certainly, I think the longer the number of days that we see these incessant drumbeat of warnings continue, people will do grow either incredulous or nervous, frankly. And whether something is imminent. But you just have to look, frankly, at the volume of forces gathering around Ukraine's borders. The Satellite images that show some of these forces moving from their garrison areas towards the border themselves.

The consistency of the U.S. message here, which has outlined a very detailed plan. They believe they have intercepted or obtained of what Vladimir Putin wants to do here. And then, of course, as well, what we're seeing in the separatist areas of the east. It's important to see that in the wider narrative because many believe the allegations coming out of there often entirely force, off-shelling by Ukrainian forces and evacuees leaving in large numbers towards Russia.

So Russian-backed separatists claim is the pretext that the U.S. is often warned would be needed by Russia in order to launch a broader invasion. That hasn't happened yet. And so far, what we are seeing is a build-up of Russia's forces inside its own territory, but it is extremely ominous, frankly, and the beginning of the separatist activity we saw last week does appear to be feeding this narrative of something pretty bad happening in the days ahead.

JARRETT: All right, Nick Paton Walsh, thank you for that. Let's turn now to our senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen who is live for us in Moscow. Fred, good morning. What is the Kremlin saying about the possibility of this meeting between President Biden and Vladimir Putin. How likely is this in their view?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Laura. Well, they're not completely shooting it down per se, but they are saying it's not necessarily something that's going to happen very quickly. It was quite interesting, we were actually on a call with the Kremlin with the spokesman for Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, and he was asked that question about whether or not the summit would really take place.

After of course, we heard the information from the French and President Biden himself also apparently in principle, at least, agreed to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin. They say so far, there are no concrete preparations going on, however, the Kremlin spokesman also said that a summit like this, a meeting like this could be organized very quickly. And he said it would be something that could happen in person or something that could, for instance, happen via a phone call or some sort of video call as well.

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And the meantime, the Russians are saying that it has been agreed to continue their dialogue on the ministers level. For instance, later this week, Secretary of State Blinken will be speaking and will be meeting his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister. So certainly, the talks are continuing, the diplomatic effort is continuing as well.

Now, of course, there was some information coming out of the U.S. saying they have credible information that apparently Russia might be drawing up lists of Ukrainians that would either be killed or put into camps in case there was an invasion. And the Russians obviously captured Ukrainian territory. That notion was completely shot down by the Kremlin's spokesman. He said there was no such list, and that this was a complete lie.

And then finally, Laura, and I think this is something that's really important. The Kremlin also saying that Vladimir Putin right about now is set to hold a meeting, to chair a meeting of the Russian National Security Council. And when asked whether this was a regular meeting, they said, no, this was not a scheduled meeting. So, certainly, this is something that could yield some sort of new clues as to what the Russians might be planning to do.

We are looking to see whether or not we'll be hearing from Vladimir Putin during that meeting, or after that meeting. Certainly, something to look forward to, Laura.

JARRETT: Yes, the timing of that certainly notable. Fred, thank you for your reporting as always. So, the increasingly tense situation at the Ukrainian border expected to dominate a meeting of the EU foreign ministers getting underway soon in Brussels. So let's go live to Brussels where we find CNN's Scott McLean. Scott, there are calls for the EU to start sanctioning Russia even before any invasion. But is there any appetite on the EU side for that?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The short answer to that question, Laura, is no. But you're right, it was actually the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who was making that point over the weekend, that if the West is so convinced that Russia is going to invade Ukraine, then his point is, look, what are you waiting for with these sanctions? Now, that is a point that the Ukrainian foreign minister had an opportunity to make this morning to the foreign ministers from the 27 EU member states.

He met with them for about an hour and a half or at least, that's what he was scheduled to meet with them for. And the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell says that, look, the package of sanctions that the EU is proposing, it is already prepared and ready to go, but still needs to be approved by each of the 27 member-states. He says that, that is very likely or he's confident that, that will happen. But it will not happen until what he says is the right time, in other words, after a Russian invasion.

Zelensky's other point, though is that, look, at least, the West should make clear what exactly those sanctions will be. They have been quite vague up until this point, though we know that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said just yesterday that if Russia were to invade, that they would be essentially cut off from the international financial system. And EU sanctions are being coordinated also with Canada, the United States and Switzerland to make sure that everyone is on the same page so that there is no way for Russia to get around what's going on here -- Russia, or to get around those sanctions, excuse me, Laura.

JARRETT: Yes, all right, Scott, thank you for that. Appreciate it. All this as new satellite images released Sunday show Russian ground troops moving out of their garrisons and training fields and advancing closer to Ukraine's border. Let's bring in retired Air Force Colonel and CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton. Colonel, so nice to have you. I feel like we've been going through this for the past couple weeks now, and it keeps inching closer and closer and closer.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says Russian tanks rolling into Kyiv now is, quote, "highly likely". When you see these new images, what's your reaction to this apparent escalation in military activity?

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, good morning, Laura. You know, it looks very much like you said. They're inching closer and closer to the border. And every time they do something like this, it means to me that they're getting more and more ready to actually cross that border. So if they do that, that's going to, of course, change the entire equation when it comes to both the military aspect and the diplomatic aspect.

What I do see is that more preparations, more efforts to bring front line combat troops forward, more efforts to make sure that logistical training is taken care of so that they can take care of supplies, re- supplying their forces should they go in, and, of course, medical care for those forces. So there is a lot of activity in that regard, but it looks closer and closer on the ground, at least, like they're getting to a point where they'll actually move across the border.

JARRETT: Can we play this out just hypothetically? You have so much experience here. Is this the type of thing we'll see overnight, just troops storming across the border or will it be sort of a more slowing incursion, sort of dribs and drabs over several days?

LEIGHTON: So, they could do it either way. The Russians could go in, in dribs and drabs, or they could go full bore all the way.

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I think what they will do in this particular case is they'll move really quickly. They'll do everything very fast. Usually, what they would do is make a lightning strike and as Secretary Austin mentioned, they would go in and take Kyiv. That would be one major way of doing this in kind of, you know, having a very quick timeline so that people can't respond to it. If they go in dribs and drabs, it will be easier to respond to their efforts. If they do it quickly, it will be much harder.

JARRETT: So, President Zelensky of Ukraine has expressed frustration about America's inaction on imposing tough sanctions on Russia. The idea basically being that if we impose the sanctions now, what's to hold Putin back? At least, that's John Kirby's view, the communications director over there. What do you make of this apparent rift that has emerged, if I could call it that, between Washington and Kyiv during this crisis at certain points? LEIGHTON: Well, it seems more a difference in tactics as opposed to a

difference in strategy, although, you know, there could be some strategic issues there as well. But in terms of the communications, you know, clearly, Ukraine wants Russia to be stopped. And if they think that sanctions would do it, it seems like they do, then imposing the sanctions from the Ukrainian point of view would be the right thing to do.

From the West's perspective, the threat of sanctions should be enough, they think, to deter Russia because Russia doesn't know exactly what the sanctions will be. And they have to at least, question in the back of their mind whether or not they can keep their economy going, whether or not they can keep their military operations going if those sanctions fall into place. So there is a definite difference in tactics, and that's something that, you know, is serious, but not necessarily consequential when it comes to actual responses to a potential Russian invasion.

JARRETT: All right, Colonel Cedric Leighton, thank you so much for your expertise as always. We're going to need more of it for sure.

LEIGHTON: You bet, Laura, any time. Thanks so much for having me.

JARRETT: Coming up for you, Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19 just as England is set to relax restrictions. We have the latest on how she's doing. And chaos on the court, we'll tell you what set Michigan's head basketball coach Juwan Howard swinging in the handshake line.

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JARRETT: Welcome back. Britain's Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19. The 95-year-old monarch is said to be experiencing mild cold-like symptoms. CNN's Anna Stewart is live for us in Windsor, England. Anna, good morning. I imagine the queen is receiving the best medical care possible. What else is Buckingham Palace saying about how she is doing right now?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Laura. Well, we've had no real updates in terms of her health condition this morning. But as you say, she is very well looked after, she has a whole team of physicians. And when they broke the news yesterday that she had tested positive for COVID-19, they also said that she will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines.

And medical attention may suggest that she's on antiviral drugs or something of that ilk, given she's 95. So, at a more sort of high risk for severe disease from COVID-19. But currently, she is OK. Now, I don't expect we're going to get any real updates on the queen's health, unless it really significantly changes. And that's because Buckingham Palace has really stopped giving a running commentary on the queen's health in the last year, not least, she has had some health concerns. Last October, she was admitted to hospital and underwent some testing. We're still not really entirely sure what for, but she was assigned bed rest, she canceled multiple events. And really, ever since then, they've been fairly tight-lipped when it comes to her health. We believe she's triple-vaccinated, but then, we don't actually know. We knew that she had the first one at the beginning of last year with Prince Philip who of course, sadly died last year.

What we assumed she has had the following vaccinations that's widely reported in the media. So, hopefully, she'll be OK. She's continuing to work albeit with light duties.

JARRETT: Yes, I saw that, putting out statements about the Olympics, soldiering on. Anna Stewart, thank you. Back here at home, Justin Bieber has also tested positive for COVID. The singer was supposed to postpone his show in Las Vegas last night, his representatives are calling it a mild case as well. Bieber's Justice world tour just started last week. The Las Vegas concert has been rescheduled for June.

Still ahead for you, the game was a blowout, but we'll show you how the Michigan-Wisconsin match up almost ended in another blow. Plus, the final word today from both sides in the hate crime trial of three men convicted of killing Ahmaud Arbery.

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JARRETT: Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard likely facing punishment for taking a swing at Wisconsin's assistant coach after yesterday's tough loss. Andy Scholes has it all covered in this morning's "BLEACHER REPORT". So, Andy, help me out here. This whole thing started over a time-out he didn't like?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Laura. So, the Badgers, they had the game won in the closing seconds, but they called the time-out to avoid a potential 10-second backcourt violation. And that's what upset Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, and as he was walking by in the handshake line, Howard said to the Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, I'll remember that. Well, Gard then grabbed Howard to explain his reasoning for that time-out.

A tussle ensued, players started getting involved and then Howard striking a Wisconsin assistant coach. Some punches were also thrown by players, ugly scene. Afterwards, Howard, though, did not apologize for what happened.

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JUWAN HOWARD, HEAD COACH, MICHIGAN WOLVERINES MEN'S TEAM: I just didn't want him to touch me. I think that was very uncalled for, for him to touch me. As we were verbalizing and communicating with one another, so, that's what, you know, happened. That's what escalated it. GREG GARD, HEAD COACH, WISCONSIN BADGERS: I took a time out and it

got us a new 10 seconds, and helped them, you know, get organized to get the ball in. And he did not like that when he came through the handshake line. So I'll leave it at that, and the tape will show the rest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, the Big Ten Conference says it will review the matter for, quote, "swift and appropriate disciplinary action".

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All right, the Daytona 500, meanwhile, kicking off the NASCAR season yesterday. Austin Cindric holding off Bubba Wallace to get the win in overtime. The 23-year-old becoming the second youngest driver to win the great American race. Wallace coming in second, he drives the car owned by Michael Jordan. Jordan was at the race before bolting for Cleveland for the NBA All-Star game. Jordan part of the NBA's 75th anniversary celebration where they honored the 75 greatest players of all time.

You see Jordan and LeBron there sharing a pretty cool embrace during that ceremony. And as for the game, the stars born in Akron, Ohio, shining the brightest looks back at Steph Curry, like LeBron also born in Akron. Now, the Cleveland fans, they were booing Steph early due to their history, but he still put on a show, making an all-star record, 16 three's in the game, finished with 50 points, taking home the game's MVP award.

In the final moments, LeBron's team was 2 points away from the target score, and LeBron coming through in the clutch, hitting the game winner back in his hometown. Team LeBron beats team Durant 163-160. So, definitely a fun weekend back in Cleveland for LeBron, Laura. He actually said the door is not closed for him to one day play there a game.

JARRETT: Wow --

SCHOLES: He also told "The Athletic", he's going to do whatever it takes to end up playing his last year in the NBA with his son, Bronny. So, if you want LeBron on your team, just draft his son in a couple of years.

JARRETT: Very cool. Andy, before I let you go, can we just go back to Juwan Howard for a second. What do you think is going to happen to him? Is definitely a suspension in the future for him?

SCHOLES: Yes, there's definitely going to be some sort of severe punishment, Laura. I imagine it's going to be a lengthy suspension, maybe even as much as the rest of the season. Obviously, the worst case scenario for Juwan Howard is be that he loses his job over --

JARRETT: Right --

SCHOLES: This. And that's what a lot of people were calling for on social media. You know, it's kind of become this big argument, you know, he didn't instigate the situation, but he obviously was the one --

JARRETT: Escalated --

SCHOLES: Who threw the first --

JARRETT: Yes --

SCHOLES: Blow. He escalated it --

JARRETT: Yes --

SCHOLES: You're right, so we'll see. I imagine we're going to hear something from the Big Ten Conference in Michigan later today.

JARRETT: Yes, all right, Andy, I know you'll stay on top of it. Thank you.

SCHOLES: All right.

JARRETT: Coming up, a last ditch effort at diplomacy. But as President Biden looks for a foreign policy win on Ukraine, could the strategy backfire here at home? And following the backlash against Dave Chappelle's last Netflix's comedy special, the streaming giant just decided to let him host and produce four new ones. That's next.

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