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Astronaut To Back Off War Of Words With Russian Space Chief; Zelenskyy To Address Congress As Russians Attack Ukraine; United Nations: One Child Becoming A Refugee Every Second In Ukraine. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired March 16, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:32:11]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, a CNN exclusive. CNN obtained a NASA email to former astronauts urging them not to engage in rhetorical attacks with the Russians. This morning, NASA veteran Scott Kelly says he is backing off his Twitter feud with the head of the Russian Space Agency.

Kristin Fisher, who broke this story, joins us now with the latest -- Kristin.

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the war in Ukraine has really pushed some prominent former NASA astronauts like Scott Kelly, who spent years training in Russia, to speak out against the war. And more specifically, speak out against a man by the name of Dmitry Rogozin, who is the head of Russia's space agency. But John, that has put NASA in a really tight spot as it tries to fulfill its mission and keep this partnership intact up at the International Space Station.

And so, just a few hours after Scott Kelly got into a bit of a Twitter fight with Dmitry Rogozin, a high-ranking NASA official sent out an email to almost all former NASA astronauts that said this, and I quote. "As Americans, each of us enjoys freedom of speech and you are all empowered to speak your mind. However, please know that as former NASA astronauts, your words carry additional weight, and attacking our Russian partners is damaging to our current mission."

And, so, this really highlights the delicate position that NASA is in right now.

So I asked Scott Kelly about that email and he says yes, I got it. And he has decided to actually back off Dmitry Rogozin because he says he respects NASA, NASA's position, and the person who sent that email.

But Scott Kelly is in no way backing off his opposition to the war on Twitter because he's been tweeting in fluent Russian to all of his followers and he believes because he has so many followers in Russia that he can really make a difference here as he tries to shine a light on Russian propaganda and misinformation. John, one more thing. As we just kind of look at the Space Station itself, NASA says that its operations continue. That nothing has changed over the last three weeks or so. And something that's really incredible -- on this Friday, three more Russian cosmonauts are going to fly up and arrive at the International Space Station. So despite all of these white-hot tensions between the U.S. and Russia on earth, the Space Station really remains this island of diplomacy and cooperation between these two countries.

BERMAN: And it will be worth watching if it can stay that way.

Kristin Fisher, thank you very much for that report.

And we should note that former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will join us on NEW DAY in just a little bit.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: NATA defense ministers are meeting as Russian attacks intensify in Ukraine. And Kyiv's mayor is reaching out to the Pope.

CNN reporters are covering it all.

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DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Delia Gallagher in Rome.

Pope Francis has received an invitation from the mayor of Kyiv to come to the city. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko wrote to the pope saying his presence there would quote "be key for saving lives and paving a path to peace."

The Vatican acknowledged that the pope did receive the letter. They did not say whether Francis would be taking up the mayor on his offer, but they said that the pope was close to the people suffering in the city, to the city's administration, and to all those who have had to flee.

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER (on camera): I'm Natasha Bertrand at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived here a short time ago where he'll be meeting with his counterparts all day to discuss the situation on the ground in Ukraine. They will begin with a military assessment of the situation -- of Ukraine's military operations there -- and then they will discuss the reinforcements to those Eastern Flank NATO countries who are feeling very vulnerable in the face of this Russian aggression.

Of course, this all comes ahead of President Biden's trip to NATO next week where he will also be discussing the future of the NATO alliance.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Jeremy Diamond at the White House where President Biden is set to unveil $800 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine. That would bring the total new security assistance announced over the last week to $1 billion. And it'll come -- President Biden's remarks will come after President Zelenskyy of Ukraine addresses Congress and makes his specific requests for additional assistance.

Now, President Biden will outline specifically what this billion dollars in security assistance will include. It'll include anti- aircraft, anti-tank missiles. But what it won't include are some things that President Zelenskyy is still calling for, including additional Soviet-era fighter jets and that no-fly zone.

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KEILAR: With us now, CNN senior political correspondent and anchor of "INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY," Abby Phillip.

Abby, this is -- you know, in less than 90 minutes we're going to be hearing from President Zelenskyy addressing Congress.

Maybe a bit of a preview when he spoke to the Canadian Parliament yesterday. He said can you imagine when you call your friends your friendly nation. And he goes on to say the things you need when you ask for help. And they, in return -- they expressed their deep concerns about the situation.

What's the line he's walking today?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, ANCHOR, "INSIDE SUNDAY POLITICS": Yes. I mean, I think he's describing well what's going on with, particularly, the Europeans who have basically given Zelenskyy a statement saying we support you.

But he knows -- Zelenskyy understands very well that his power is actually in the bully pulpit in his use of communication to sway public opinion, and he's done it globally very effectively. He knows that while Congress doesn't unilaterally have the power necessarily to do what he's asking, the pressure will get to the White House.

Now, most people in Congress agree the no-fly zone is probably not going to happen. But I do think he -- I think the pressure will be on this morning. I don't know that he's going to really pull any punches because he understands putting pressure on Congress, putting pressure from the American public to the White House is really the only card he has left here.

KEILAR: Yes. We just had Jason Crow on, who is on the Intel and Armed Services Committees, and he supports the fighter jets --

PHILLIP: Yes.

KEILAR: -- which is something that Zelenskyy is calling for but the Biden administration is reticent to provide. And really, that seems to be an unyielding place where they are.

PHILLIP: Yes. And, you know, when you talk to military analysts, a lot of them say what the Ukrainians really need is, sort of, surface- to-air types of munitions. And also, that the Russians are not necessarily using a lot of air attacks on Ukraine. So there is a lot of dispute about, practically, what that means.

But I think there's a lot symbolic here and that's probably what you're hearing from Congressman Crow, which is that many lawmakers in Congress say just give them everything, right? Give them everything. What's the harm in doing that? Because at this point, we are -- the United States is as far into this as we're going to be and we -- and giving the Ukrainians the opportunity to gain the upper hand is the most important thing. The Pentagon and the White House disagrees.

But I think a lot of members of Congress say look, tactical considerations aside, just give them what they're asking for.

KEILAR: Yes. That's why he's talking to Congress --

PHILLIP: Yes.

KEILAR: -- right?

PHILLIP: Yes.

KEILAR: He knows they'll turn around and say something to the president.

So, when President Biden is at this NATO meeting, which I think is going to be an extraordinary meeting that we see next week, what does -- what does he have to do? What's the assignment?

PHILLIP: The question is where and how is America going to lead in this new world order? There's no question that everyone agrees we have entered a new phase of global peace and security and conflict, frankly -- and for much of the last century, the United States has been leading. Will they lead in the future?

And I think that's a huge question because, on a lot of this stuff as it relates to this conflict, while the U.S. has been on the forefront of making clear what Russia is doing, it has seemed that they've taken a back step to the Europeans. They've said to the Europeans you guys decide what you want to do and we will -- we will follow along so that we have a united front.

[07:40:00]

And I do think it's a big question whether the Biden administration perceives the United States as playing the same role in this next era of peace and security and conflict on the globe as they did in the last era. And how they do that, what they are willing to say and promise, what signals they give to Ukraine about their future and some of these organizations, whether it be the European Union or NATO, huge questions I think on the table for global leaders.

KEILAR: I really can't wait to see what comes out of this.

PHILLIP: Yes. KEILAR: Abby, thank you so much for that. And, of course, you can catch Abby on "INSIDE POLITICS" at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.

In Kherson, the most destructive known strike that the Ukrainian military has conducted against Russian helicopters so far, destroying at least three of them. This comes amid reports that Russia is calling for reinforcements. We'll have the latest on the ground, next.

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[07:45:00]

KEILAR: All right. CNN is learning that President Biden is intending to announce new military assistance for Ukraine. The new assistance set to include additional defensive weapons, which includes anti-tank missiles, but will stop short of the no-fly zone or those fighter jets that the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants.

Let's talk about this and where things stand right now with Retired Brigadier General Steven Anderson.

I'm so curious to have your opinion on this about where things are right now in Ukraine with an eye to the fact that you were in charge of logistics during the surge in Iraq. And I wonder what you think of the challenges -- the logistical challenges that Russians are having right now.

BRIG. GEN. STEVEN ANDERSON, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, almost all wars come down to the ability to provide logistics to the respective forces. It's all about logistics. And there's a tremendous challenge here that we've got to overcome.

The American military has the most profound capability to project military power and we need to use those assets to help us fight this fight. Because as you know, this is the only thing we have is logistics. We cannot engage the Russians directly. We cannot execute a no-fly zone. So what can we do? We can push logistics.

So what are we talking about here? We're talking about huge distances. If you look at these distances right here in -- if we were to think of a map of the United States, this is Washington, D.C., this is Chicago, this is Kansas City and the Missouri River. You're talking tremendous, tremendous distances. So what you've got to do is be able to get through those distances and push your logistics forward.

Now, how do they do that? Well, they've got a robust train system -- 15,000 miles of train tracks that run through all of Ukraine. And these are being leveraged right now by the Ukrainians but the Russians want to get their hands on them.

They also have airports. They have a huge airport right here in Boryspil. They have one out here in Antonov. Those are two significant airfields.

There was a tremendous battle on the first day in which special forces and airborne forces jumped into Boryspil and they were fought back and defeated by the Ukrainians, which is tremendous. It shows how important that is to them because they want to be able to use the Antonov 124 to fly in cargo into those airports.

The other thing I would like to talk about is the Port of Odessa -- hugely important because Ukraine is the fifth-largest exporter of wheat in the world; fourth-largest exporter of corn. This is their sustainment. This is how they -- they're economy keeps flowing is this port right here, so they've got to do what they can do to retain that.

Now, obviously, the Russians have Kherson. They want to get Odessa. It's 125 miles away. The Ukrainians are going to do everything in their power to stop that.

So it's all about logistics here. The ability of Ukraine to retain logistics capability versus the ability of the Russians to seize those logistics -- assets and use them to their advantage. That's what this battle is coming down to.

KEILAR: So, the president is expected to announce today $800 million in assistance. Let's talk about what's in there and let's talk about what's not in there, right? So, what are we --

ANDERSON: Absolutely.

KEILAR: -- expecting?

ANDERSON: So, right -- the -- one of the things we'd like to get in there -- excuse me, I hit the wrong button -- is we want to get drones in there. Right now, these are Turkish drones.

KEILAR: That's what something -- you think that needs to be in there --

ANDERSON: Yes.

KEILAR: -- but it's not.

ANDERSON: It's not in the package right now but there needs to be additional drones in this package because these are proving to be tremendously successful. Now, the Ukrainians are claiming they've destroyed 77 aircraft -- three just today down in Kherson. This is a tremendous piece of equipment. We've seen -- we've seen video shots of this already and the ability of these drones to take out Russian tanks.

Now, of course, we need the Stinger. This is an air -- a surface-to- air missile that's been tremendously effective. No doubt, many of those 77 aircraft were shot down by Stingers.

Also, Javelin. These are incredibly important. Six hundred mechanized vehicles, apparently, have been taken out already by the Ukrainians, largely using weapons like this.

You remember the little old lady that we saw earlier that was driving around with a truckload of -- in her scota (ph) of Molotov cocktails. We want to replace that with Javelins like this. KEILAR: So, back to the drone, right, that we're -- let me -- is this is right here?

ANDERSON: Yes.

KEILAR: What's the -- what's the hang-up? What's the reticence on getting more drones in there?

ANDERSON: There shouldn't be a reticence. I mean, it's available. There are American equivalents of this that we could certainly push into -- there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to use NATO assets. Almost all countries, like Turkey, have this drone that is capable of tremendous offensive capabilities.

I don't really care what country it comes from --

KEILAR: You said offensive though --

ANDERSON: Yes.

KEILAR: -- and I think there's a lot of concern about kind of pushing Putin's (INAUDIBLE).

ANDERSON: That is one of the issues. We're not supposed to be giving them offensive weapons. But I would submit to you that something flying over Ukraine right now, fighting on targets inside Ukraine is defensive. Of course, you can make that same argument about MiG 29s.

[07:50:02]

I get it -- it could be an issue. But there's a lot of Turkish assets out there that we could use. We could push those in as well.

KEILAR: General Anderson, thank you so much --

ANDERSON: Thank you very much.

KEILAR: -- for explaining that to us. We appreciate it.

Plumes of smoke seen over the skies of Kyiv amid new attacks overnight. We are going to be joined by a former Ukrainian health minister who returned to the capital city to help save lives.

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BERMAN: This morning, a stunning new statistic from the United Nations. Almost one child per second is becoming a refugee of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. You can see three million people have fled the country so far. Children make up half that. But there are millions more displaced inside the country, many of them without basic needs like food, heat, shelter, and they're pleading for assistance from the international community.

Joining me now is Dr. Ulana Suprun. She is the former acting minister of health of Ukraine under the previous President Petro Poroshenko, and she's currently helping to facilitate the humanitarian and medical response for displaced civilians. Thank you so much for being with us, Doctor.

As I said, we've focused on the refugees who have left the country but what is the need this morning for those who have been displaced inside?

DR. ULANA SUPRUN, UKRAINE'S FORMER ACTING MINISTER OF HEALTH: Thank you for having me, and thank you for talking about this very important subject. I think that it hasn't been discussed enough.

We, ourselves, were internally displaced for a week. We left Kyiv, where I am now, and we went to Lviv. A car trip which normally would take five hours takes two days. And when we came to Lviv, the city is overwhelmed. Its population has doubled in a very short period of time and they aren't getting any help from the international community.

The International Organization for Migration (the IOM), the UNHRC which is the U.N.'s refugee agency -- they're working in Poland, in Slovakia, in Czech Republic, in Romania. And we're very thankful to those countries. We are grateful that they are accepting our refugees.

But the main concern here in Ukraine is that it's like a catastrophic bleed. And any doctor will tell you that you can't put the blood back in once it's out. We're losing one of our most -- well, actually, our greatest natural resource, which is the people of Ukraine. They're leaving the country and history has shown that those who leave as refugees seldom return.

The deliberate targeting of civilians by the Russian military is a form of ethnic cleansing. And that targeting of civilians also causes fear amongst the families. They want to take their children outside, away from the danger and into safety.

So, rightfully so, they're fleeing, but we would like for them to stay within the borders of Ukraine. And we can only do that if we get the help of the international community like the IOM and the UNHCR.

BERMAN: I've heard you say people leaving in the millions -- that's what the Russians want.

SUPRUN: That's exactly what the Russians want. That's what Stalin did in Crimea when he deported the Crimean Tatars. That's what Putin did in Eastern Ukraine when they started -- a lot of people fled in the beginning of the war in 2014 and they've repopulated that area with Russians, as well as handing out Russian passports.

That's one of the methods that Putin and the Russians use historically to take over a country and to incorporate it into its own empire.

BERMAN: So, specifically, what are you asking for from the international community?

SUPRUN: From the international community, we're asking that the IOM and the UNHCR start acting within the borders of Ukraine. They come into the western oblast, which are Lviv oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Volyn oblast. They come into some places like Poltava, where people from eastern Ukraine are displaced and provide services, which are shelter, food, heat, schools for the children. And help the Ukrainian people stay in Ukraine.

Most of the people -- as I've seen that CNN has done interviews with people in the refugee centers as well as with the mayor of Lviv, most people would have wanted to stay in Ukraine. They don't want to leave. They're being forced to leave. And the international community is complicit in this ethnic cleansing by only helping those who've left the country and not providing services to those who stayed within the country.

BERMAN: Dr. Ulana Suprun, we appreciate you speaking out this morning. Thank you so much for the work you're doing and thank you for being with us.

SUPRUN: Thank you very much.

BERMAN: And NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: Good morning to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. It is Wednesday, March 16th. I'm John Berman with Brianna Keilar.

And breaking overnight, Russian forces shelling a residential building just a short distance from the city center of Kyiv. This is new video we're just getting in right now. Rescue workers evacuated dozens of people. There are reports of injuries.

We have the video just in to CNN showing the moment the building was hit -- watch this.

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Russian airstrike on a residential building in Kyiv.

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BERMAN: That is a residential complex just a short distance from the city center of Kyiv. Deliberate attacks on civilians.

Now, with this capital under attack, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the U.S. Congress just a short time from now.

Earlier today, Zelenskyy said that Russia is suddenly getting more realistic in its negotiating position as talks between the two countries continue. Zelenskyy did not offer specifics there.

This morning, there are new signs of serious strain in the Russian attack.

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