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Putin's Law Limiting Press Pushes News Orgs To Pull Journalists Out Of Russia; More Than 320,000 Ukrainian Refugees Have Crossed Into Romania; U.S. Bolsters Defense Weaponry In Europe: Sends 2 Patriot Missile Batteries To Poland. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired March 09, 2022 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST: -- against the Russians, Jill Dougherty, the world says this cannot be part of any war plan but you've covered Russian military campaigns in the past, this is what many predicted, Putin thinks it would not go well, Putin will get back into a corner, and we would sadly see this.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it can be on purpose. It can be with the incompetence of the Russian military. And I would presume that they will blame it on the Ukrainians. It's pretty obvious. But this is, at this point, it's not working out the way Putin wants. And it is, I think, going to get worse, where he -- he's cannot back down. So he will prosecute this war to the end.

KING: Yes, the flip side is you see images like this. And if one of the questions is, will the Western solidarity, remarkable solidarity, whether we're talking about governments, whether we're talking about businesses, pulling out of Russia, standing up to Russia, can that last, pictures like that are going to add to the spine of the opposition of Putin?

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think that's right. And I think the question that Vice President Harris will have going forward is, what more can be done? You know, obviously, there's this refugee crisis that has to be handled within Europe. And the idea that's on the table for many lawmakers here in the U.S. is whether or not there's a no fly zone. That sounds easy. But that would draw the U.S. into war with Russia, something that Americans clearly do not want.

The other question is more sanctions. I mean, there are some more tools in the President's sort of war chest around this, do they sort of rethink Russia's role in the WTO. And we'll see some action out of Congress too, to kind of look further at sanctioning the oil industry, you know, if Russia, something that Biden has already done. But, you know, will it matter, given Putin's resolve to do what he's already been doing in Ukraine.

KING: And so Harris, when she lands on the ground, and even as she flies on Air Force Two, their negotiations underway, can we figure this out? I just saw, you know, Poland still has some old Soviet mix, right? So Poland is here. And you could see, you could just, here's Ukraine and here's Poland, there's a border, you could drive them or fly them across the border except that's very complicated. That's then Poland, directly intervening in a war in Ukraine against Russia. So Poland proposes, we'll fly them here. We'll fly them to Germany to a U.S. military airbase, the Ukrainians can take custody there, Dan. But the Pentagon says no, then it's the United States directly taking a military action against Vladimir Putin.

So is there a compromise? Can you put them on flatbed trucks and drive them across the border? Or is any movement of those planes from Poland across that border, Putin will interpret it as a NATO act of war against Russia?

DAN LAMOTHE, NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: That's really the line they're walking here. And the statement from the Pentagon last night was pretty remarkable. They flat out saying they don't see this, as you know, they see this as untenable. There is history if you go back to like World War II of American planes being more or less rolled into Canada to be brought to Britain. But those are pretty extraordinary circumstances. And it's not necessarily clear that even that sort of plan to take them straight from Poland in the Ukraine would be acceptable to Putin and not escalate the situation anyway.

KING: And so is there any way I mean, Germany today saying that it will provide some military help, some humanitarian help, but it also has some old makes from these German days before the German reunification. It has some makes. It says no, we're not going to do fighter planes. That is the complication, right? That if you sending missiles is one thing, sending airplanes is another, how they -- where do they draw that line?

LAMOTHE: It's a hard line to draw. And it, I think, especially it doesn't look clear on the battlefield, but the idea would be that antitank weapons, Stinger missiles, things that sort of have a sort of defensive nature to them, war planes, fighter jets, things of that sort, now you're talking offensive firepower.

KING: And this is Marie Yovanovitch, the former top diplomat in Ukraine on a related issue, the no fly zone. Presidents Zelenskyy again today says I need a no fly zone. NATO has consistently said no. There are some foreign policy, very smart people trying to think, is there a way to cope with the limited no fly zone, Marie Yovanovitch says, maybe we'll have to do this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIE YOVANOVITCH, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: And I think the administration and NATO do need to look at the possibility of a no fly zone for humanitarian purposes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: But again, Jill Dougherty, you're looking at where do those planes enforcing a no fly zone come from. If they come from here, the NATO band around Ukraine and Russia, one of those planes cross -- you have to cross the border into Ukraine. So then you have an American plane or a German plane or French plane, you know, an Estonian plane, Lafayette plane pick your air force. That is a NATO plane in Ukrainian airspace and Vladimir Putin will say you have escalated.

DOUGHERTY: Exactly. And then your war. And that this is hanging over the entire issue, which is how far is Putin willing to push this? I mean, what he actually, let's say move into areas, countries that are members of NATO, would he want a war with NATO because, as I understand it, NATO will defeat Russia, but it is very dangerous. Putin has been talking about nuclear weapons, the use of any type of nuclear weapon. He put his nuclear weapons and other weapons on high alert so, you know, what is he willing to do? It's almost a game of chicken, you know.

[12:35:12]

KING: And the President seems to be trying to when he says no to a no fly zone, let's be careful about transferring fighter jets to keep the Allies together because no one knows how long this is going to last, what it's going to take. There are many people talking about supporting Ukrainians in unoccupied Ukraine, perhaps weeks down the road. And that could go on for months and years. But the President was to keep everybody together because he believes at least so far, you have solidarity.

HENDERSON: Yes. So far, you have solidarity. So far, you have a Russian army that hasn't sort of measured up to some of the expectations are stalled a bit on their march to some of these cities. And so we'll see, listen, Vice President Harris has her work cut out for her going there and talking to the NATO Allies, keeping that alliance together. Another thing to watch is what's going on with inside Russia, some protests and obviously, the Russian president cracking down on those protests, but how far can he go in terms of Russia and Russians putting up with some of the things we're seeing?

KING: You've just returned.

DOUGHERTY: Yes.

KING: You're a veteran of being there. You have seen these past crackdowns, A, anything like this, I mean, "New York Times" is out, CNN is now broadcasting there, media organizations are leaving. But that's just a symptom of the larger issue, the Putin crackdown within Russia, for the Russian people. What was your sense? Is this different? Is Putin still fully in command?

DOUGHERTY: It is completely under, I should say it, the Russian media, state controlled media, are completely under control of the Kremlin. And they have just essentially shut down to the last remaining independent news organizations T.V. Rain and Echo of Moscow. And so, and this hasn't, you know, this happened right now, overnight, but it's been coming since Putin came into office, but it is monumental right now. And I was talking with journalists who are leaving, I mean, just getting out when they can, Russian journalists, with no idea of whether they will ever be able to get back so that the people in Russia are completely now cut off from any type of other information. Although I have to say there are ways you know, the internet may is a different ballgame, but it's not like having, this is like having every T.V. channel in the U.S. with one master.

KING: It's a propaganda machine that a lot of people the West don't quite understand. Appreciate everybody coming in.

Next for us, Romania prepares for an influx of more refugees fleeing Ukraine. We're live on the ground. First look at these amazing images. Ukrainian women being taught how to use AK-47s, other machine guns, pictures taking various civilian self-defense course, ordinary citizens across the country, getting basic combat training because they say they want to protect their country. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:42:29]

KING: Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska calls the Russian invasion, and these are her words, the mass murder of Ukrainian civilians. In a heartbreaking Facebook post she writes about the most terrifying and devastating, again, those are her words, the most terrifying and devastating part of this invasion, the killing of children. Eight- year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her. Or Polina from Kyiv, who died in the shelling with her parents. Fourteen-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage, and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him in time because of intense fires. Heartbreaking.

Children also of course, central to Ukraine's exploding refugee crisis. The United Nations says, 2 million people and counting have fled Ukraine since the invasion began two weeks ago. CNN's Miguel Marquez is live from Romania, one of the country's accepting those refugees. Miguel they're coming by the thousands and I see you're in now place, a shelter setup to help them.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are preparing for a lot more, 320,000 Ukrainian refugees have already come through Romania. Many of them have left. This is the largest public space in all of Bucharest. They are running out of space in the other refugee centers they have set up in the city. So they're preparing the convention center for 2,000 more refugees. As soon as tomorrow, they are setting everything up right now. They have areas for babies over here. They have areas for moms with children. These are all cots, in case you are wondering that they are trying to get set up as well.

They have a team of volunteers. The city of Bucharest is also taking donations on their website for the city. All of that stuff that you see at the end, that's all stuff that's been donated already. They say they have the clothes, the food, the water, everything they need. The problem that they have is that they don't know what they are planning for. They have tens of thousands of refugees coming in to Romania every day, not only along the borders between Romania and Ukraine. But Moldova as well, where many refugees are coming through as well.

It is just a massive effort here preparing for whatever is coming. They're not entirely sure, but they hope that they have enough room. The idea is, is that people who use this sort of refugee center would be here for a few days, and then they would move out. Most refugees are moving out of Romania but they're coming in such great numbers. And as this goes on, and people are coming here with very little clothes, very little money, sometimes not even their documentation, it becomes more difficult then to help them and get them to a place where they are safe. John?

[12:45:06]

KING: Miguel Marquez, critical reporting for us on this burgeoning, expanding refugee crisis. Miguel, thank you so much. And for more information about how you can help these humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, go to CNN.com/impact.

Ahead for us, the United States ramping up its defenses in Europe as fears grow in the NATO countries that Vladimir Putin won't stop at the border of Ukraine. First, though, we're learning more details about a horrific airstrike in a hospital in the southern port city in Ukraine. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:16]

KING: Fire, rubble, heartbreak, this hour in Ukraine. The images you see right there the scene from a maternity in Children's Hospital in Mariupol that Ukrainian authorities say was hit by Russian bombs, mothers, infants, and children now targets of Putin's war. Ukrainian officials say there are at least 17 casualties right now, the fear of course, that that number goes up, it could go up dramatically, significantly, as rescue workers dig through that horrific wreckage.

And new pictures this hour from a potential second location hit in that Russian strike responsible for this devastation, the State Technical University less than a kilometer from the hospital taking significant damage as well, we'll bring you new information on the strikes as quickly as we get it.

The Pentagon just releasing this grim statistic, Russia has launched more than 700 missiles against Ukraine since the start of this invasion two weeks ago. And a senior U.S. defense official says Russian forces are getting closer to key Ukrainian cities. CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us with the latest. Barbara, what else are we learning?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, these missile strikes reflect the fact that Russia now has what the U.S. feels is a fairly significant if not complete umbrella in the air over Ukraine that is causing a lot of concern. Basically, they can fire missiles in any direction and reach at any point in Ukraine they choose, that's the Russian state of play. The Ukraine Air Force, still largely intact, we are told.

But make no mistake, John, the Russians, they may have had slow going on the ground. But they're making progress. We see the horrors of what they are doing. And they have the mass, they have the number of people, they still have a huge number of vehicles far outweighing what the Ukrainians can defend against.

KING: And so Barbara help me with some context. This is the map of what's playing out in Ukraine. I want to expand out now to bring in the NATO countries as well. New U.S. troop deployments about 500 more, which I believe correct me if I'm wrong, it's just a ballpark 15,000 additional U.S. troops put in to Europe moved around in Europe in the last couple of weeks. You have U.S. troops now in this ring from Estonia, all the way to Romania, some additional deployments in Germany, as well. What, when you look at what the military is doing stands out to you is most significant?

STARR: Well, we learned today that now two patriot missile batteries are in place in Poland, they are available to shoot down any Russian incoming ballistic missiles if the Russians make a mistake in how they're directing those missiles, or if the Russians engage or choose to engage in an outright aggression against NATO, that, of course, would trigger a NATO military response. But what you are pointing out there, John, is a wall of deterrence.

Now, all of the NATO countries banding together, we are seeing the beginning of a military structure being put into place that would allow NATO if it came to that, if it had to declare Article Five to defend itself against Russia, that is the beginning of the military structure, command and control missiles, all of it that would be used to help defend NATO in that wall of deterrence across the eastern flank to stop any Russian advances. Of course everyone hopes it doesn't come to that, everyone hopes the Ukraine situation gets involved -- gets resolved but the Pentagon engaging in an awful lot of planning, John?

KING: Off a lot of planning. Barbara Starr appreciate the live reporting and that planning giving Vladimir Putin exactly the opposite of what he wanted, a greater U.S. and NATO military presence right there on his doorstep.

[12:53:36]

When we come back a plea from six governors to give you a break from high gas prices, we'll look at who's leading the charge. First this moment, musicians with the Kyiv classic symphony, listen to that, playing a moving rendition of the Ukrainian and the E.U. national anthems and Maidan Square surrounded by Ukrainian flags.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: This just in, Amazon no longer shipping retail orders to Russia or Belarus and is cutting off Russian access to Prime Video at the latest in a growing international corporate boycott. This morning, General Electric and Heineken announced plans to stop all new investment and exports there. That's an addition to Starbucks, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi, all have announced their suspending operations in Russia.

With gas prices skyrocketing nationwide, a letter from six Democratic governors, the governor of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. They say they want extra money. Families are spending on gas could instead be spent on groceries, childcare, and rent. Meantime, the California Governor Gavin Newsom proposes a new tax rebate to offset record high gas prices but he isn't giving specifics yet. According to the AAA, the average price per gallon of gas in California is the nation's highest $5.44.

The Michigan Attorney General announcing the first criminal charges after her office launched a statewide investigation into the Boy Scouts of America. They are charging a former Scoutmaster who allegedly sexually abused two minors for years. And officials are also saying there could be as many as 5,000 victims in the state of Michigan with abuse allegations tied to the Boy Scouts organization.

This morning, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson meeting with more Republican lawmakers up on Capitol Hill, first up, Republican Senator Mike Lee, then Republican Josh Hawley, Judge Jackson had a 90-minute one on one with Senator Susan Collins yesterday, the main Republican called Jackson's credentials impressive, but will not commit to supporting her. She said she wants to listen first at the confirmation hearings. Collins is one of three current Senate Republicans who did vote to confirm Jackson to her current position on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

[13:00:10]

Thanks for your time today in Inside Politics. Hope to see you back here at this time tomorrow. Ana Cabrera, Anderson Cooper pick up our breaking news coverage right now.