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Refugee Center in Romania Helps Ukrainians; Gary Locke is Interviewed about China; Violence Intensifies in Kherson and Mykolaiv; Zelenskyy to Address Congress. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired March 16, 2022 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

CAPT. SCOTT KELLY (RET.), FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: This is their evidence that this is a righteous war. And it just enrages me. So if I can get them the real information, I'm going to do it.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And, finally, you sent back a medal.

KELLY: I did.

BERMAN: Talk to us -- what was that medal, what did you do with it?

KELLY: Well, Dmitry Medvedev, who was the president of Russia at the time, you know, keeping the seat warm for Putin, awarded me and a bunch of other astronauts with a Russian medal for merit in space exploration. And, you know, after this happened, I was just kind of disgusted to have it. So, I told now I guess Deputy Prime Minister Medvedev that I was going to return this award and maybe he could give it to a Russian mother whose son was killed.

BERMAN: And what did you do with it? You literally put the medal in the mail?

KELLY: The very same day I mailed it to the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C.

BERMAN: Scott Kelly, Captain, I appreciate you being with us this morning. Thank you so much for the time.

KELLY: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: So, we are awaiting a live address from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he is set to appeal directly to U.S. Congress and to the American people.

Our special live coverage continues ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:07]

BERMAN: This morning, new figures from the United Nations, 3 million Ukrainians have now fled the country. Three million refugees. More than 400,000 have made their way to neighboring Romania.

That's where CNN's Miguel Marquez joining us now. He is in Transylvania at a refugee center.

Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, basically the center of the country. And this gives you an idea of just how massive this effort is across the entire country of Romania. This was -- two weeks ago this was a business center, sort of a business incubator. Now it is home to as many as 250 refugees. This is sort of the main dining area. All the people in the reflective vests are volunteers.

They have 700 volunteers for this center alone. They run them through shifts throughout the day. And then this is kind of how it works. People from all over the area, businesses and the like, they bring donations here. Volunteers sort all that stuff out so that people can come grab it as they need it. They even have a store.

All of this is for free as well. They even have a store over here that they've set up so everything that is given to the center here, people can walk up here and get a what they need for themselves, for their families, for their dogs, for their pets. It is incredible.

I want to talk to the vice mayor of Brasov here, who, this is sort of your baby. You have several dozen refugees right now. How many more are you expecting in the hours or days ahead?

FLAVIA BOGHIU, VICE MAYOR OF BRASOV, ROMANIA: We started with 30 people this morning. Now we have around 50. And we're waiting for another 30 to come today.

MARQUEZ: And they get -- all of this is free of charge. So, you guys are footing the bill for this. Also, lots of donations.

How long is this sustainable though?

BOGHIU: So, at this point, we're relying on donations and the resources of the community. But we're trying to transfer everything on the governmental funding so that we don't put the pressure on -- on the community.

MARQUEZ: And you guys have been up and running for 13 days now. The refugees that you are seeing now, how have they changed?

BOGHIU: Since the beginning, when they -- when they were coming with their own personal cars. Now, for example, most of them are coming with volunteers, on train. They are dependent on someone to transport them. Our volunteers are doing that as well. Also, now we see people are more and more affected about the people

they left at home. Those -- the -- their dear ones, their beloved ones that they left at home. For example, you might see the night -- Ukrainian citizens here in the lobby at the center trying to get a hold of someone at home or trying to call someone and not being able to do that.

MARQUEZ: And this is an area -- a center where they can stay for days, maybe a week or so, and then you have a hotel, you have other accommodations for weeks and months ahead. It gets so complicated trying to -- what are you preparing for right now? How many do you think will come?

BOGHIU: So, now we have the receiving part figured out. And we're transferring them to the integration part because 70 percent of those who came in the center told us, declared that they want to stay at least for a short while in Brasov or for a longer term. So, this means they need to be integrated. We have to help them find job, help them know their rights, help them with their children into kindergartens, schools and so on.

MARQUEZ: It is -- and so -- and most of the refugees coming through Romania are leaving, they're going to other -- other countries, but a lot of them that are coming to this area, that they are starting to stay weeks, possibly months. Many of them stay here because they think, well, in a month or two I might be able to go back home, so they'll sort of stay close by, but the uncertainty is everywhere and the people here are doing the best they can to house them and they're getting very, very good at it. So, nice to see that side of the story as well.

Back to you guys.

BERMAN: You know, it is nice to see, Miguel. I have to say, the mobilization that has taken place in all these neighboring countries has just been remarkable.

Miguel Marquez, in Romania, thank you.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: All right, just in, some horrific news out of Ukraine. We are learning that shelling has struck a bread line in Chernihiv. This is according to a local reporter. People killed. They were just waiting for bread. That reporter on scene saying that at least 10 people have been killed. CNN cannot independently confirm the number of people killed, however, they have geolocated this video and confirmed that a bread line was hit.

This, of course, is a city that has been surrounded by Russian forces now for about a week facing repeated shelling in recent days, much of it in residential areas.

BERMAN: We'll keep an eye on that as it develops over the next several minutes.

In the meantime, the U.S. is warning China that there will be consequences for supporting Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. What will those consequences look like? We're going to ask the former U.S. ambassador to China ahead.

[08:40:01]

KEILAR: And moments from now, we'll hear Ukrainian President Zelenskyy addressing the U.S. Congress. We'll be bringing that to you live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are concerned at the prospect of China providing material support to Russia or undermining the sanctions that we've put in place with countries around the world. It's something that we've communicated directly to China, including just this -- in the past 24 hours when the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with his Chinese counterpart.

Without going into the specifics of what we'll do, we've made very clear that that's not something that we're going to take sitting down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Secretary of State Tony Blinken there telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer that there will be consequences if China provides assistance to Russia for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Let's discuss this now with the former U.S. ambassador to China and former governor of Washington state, Gary Locke.

Sir, thank you so much for being with us.

And I think we should be clear that Russia has asked China for a lot of different kinds of help, right, military assistance, economic assistance.

[08:45:09]

To you, where is the line on what China can do to help Russia without triggering massive consequences?

GARY LOCKE, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA: Well, thank you very much.

Let me just say that China now is in a very precarious predicament. For some time, they've been saying that the invasion of Ukraine was really the fault of NATO and especially of the United States. But your broadcast, CNN, pictures are actually getting to the people of China, so they're beginning to see the incredible devastation of really massacre of people and the incredible toll that it's having physically on buildings, cities, as well as people. So, China is really in a difficult position now because they've always said they respect the physical territorial integrity of countries and they've -- even as of a few weeks ago recognized the sovereignty of Ukraine. So, their ability to help Russia is going to be very, very limited.

Obviously, they can try to provide some financial infrastructure, allowing Russian companies to get their transactions and to get payments using alternative systems. Those are of limited value given the pervasiveness of the western sanctions against banking systems, transaction systems and so forth.

I think what you're going to see is China trying to rise above it. They're going to try to play peacemaker, urge negotiations, and really try to say that they are trying to bring people together.

KEILAR: How key is China to resolving this, to putting pressure on Russia?

LOCKE: Well, certainly if China refuses to provide military aid, does not allow the Russian companies to use China's financial systems to get around some of these western sanctions, then I think it's going to be really impactful on Russia, because Russia, in many ways, was looking to China to soften the blow of these sanctions, selling its oil and natural gas to China, selling some of its agricultural output to China, using China's financial system in order to get payments into Russia for products and services it delivers to entities and companies around the world. So, if China refuses to participate and refuses to really help Russia in a significant way, then that's increasing the stranglehold and the severity and the impact of western sanctions on Russia.

I think you'll see China really trying to position itself as a global player, still criticizing the west for so-called causing the invasion, but at the same time trying to get the parties together. Now, whether or not they really can do that does not really matter because they they're trying to increase their stature around the world and make the world perceive them as being helpful, trying to help.

KEILAR: Right now I wonder, as you're watching what's happening in Ukraine, knowing that China's watching very carefully. Are you more or less concerned about China's posture toward Taiwan?

LOCKE: Well, obviously, China is watching and gauging the reaction of the west in terms of its sanctions against Russia. I think they're -- they were caught off guard perhaps or did not expect the severity, the rapidity of western sanctions. And so, obviously, they're going to have to be very concerned about if they were to ever take military action against Taiwan, if they were to take any type of economic action against Taiwan, they would be concerned about the reaction of the west.

However, sanctions -- significant sanctions against China for let's say going after Taiwan would also risk repercussions to the west because so many western companies, from Europe to the United States, sell products into China. So if -- if we get into a huge -- a tit for tat sanctions, trade embargoes, tariffs, et cetera, et cetera, it will also impact western consumers, western companies, from American farmers, soybean farmers, wheat farmers, Boeing airplane company, to all kinds of companies.

And so just as Europe is, you know, feeling the effects and worried about cutting off all supplies of oil and natural gas from Russia into Europe, western countries would also be concerned about losing all trade with China because so much of what we use in our daily basis comes from China.

[08:50:03]

KEILAR: Yes, these sanctions, in all cases, I think, are double-edged swords.

Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

LOCKE: My pleasure.

KEILAR: We do have some brand-new video. This shows the moment that a residential building in Ukraine's capital, in Kyiv, was hit by Russian forces earlier this morning. This is coming as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to address the U.S. Congress just moments from now. We're going to take you there live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: We have brand-new video just in to CNN. It shows the moment a residential building in Kyiv, and this was in central Kyiv, hit by Russian shelling. That happened just hours ago. Watch it one more time.

[08:55:03]

Again, a residential building. Dozens had to be evacuated there.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have released this video. It shows them destroying Russian helicopters on the ground in Kherson. This is an area where there has been intense fighting over the last several weeks. An area where at various times the Russians have made some gains.

Want to go not far from Kherson, want to go to Odessa now, the key Black Sea port. That's where Nick Paton Walsh is this morning.

Nick, give us the latest.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Yes, John, those images you saw there, a sign of the intense battle that seems to be happening outside of Kherson. It is unclear if that Ukrainian air strike that seems to have destroyed a number, possibly helicopters, possibly other vehicles, in an area that's now been held for well over a week by Russia, whether that marks what Ukraine says is its counteroffensive, pushing down the road from Mykolaiv towards Kherson. We were there ourselves yesterday to see, frankly, how deserted it is and people fleeing the intense Russian air strikes and the fight between both sides up the road toward Mykolaiv.

The balance there really important for what happens later in Mykolaiv. Certainly, the Russians have claimed they control all of Kherson (INAUDIBLE) sort of 15, 20 kilometers outside of the city center of Mykolaiv. Mykolaiv, deeply tense, and the bombardment around it has continued as we now seem to see Russian forces moving to its north, perhaps trying to cut it off to its west, but also coming in from the southwest, southeast as well. All of that informs the potential here for an attack against Odessa.

That has been warned as a possibility over the past weeks. But we've seen increased military activity here in the last 24, 48 hours. Ukraine claiming it shot down two Russian jets, also talking now about numerous cases of shelling along the coastline here. The suggestion perhaps being that they're trying to probe or test Ukraine's air defenses here.

Concerns because of suggestions of ships being off the coast here, and that just leads to greater concerns in this barricaded city about what may come next in the days ahead, John.

BERMAN: All right, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh for us on the coast in Odessa, standing watch there.

Nick, please keep us posted.

In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set to address the U.S. Congress. CNN's special coverage continues right now.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Moments from now, the first virtual address to the U.S. Congress by a foreign leader. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, from a war torn Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, will amplify his global plea for help in an extraordinary address to this body. This time he is calling on the United States with the most powerful military in the world, asking for additional military support, economic support. It is his third major address to the west in just the last 24 hours, pushing for that military aid, economic assistance, further economic penalties on Russia. Importantly, asking NATO countries once again to close the skies over Ukraine as Russian forces continue to bombard his country, including civilian targets. So far that no-fly zone something this administration has not been willing to do. But, we learned this morning it is sending additional military aid, including surface-to-air missile systems.

I'm Jim Sciutto live this morning on Capitol Hill.

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Erica Hill in New York this morning.

While it is very unlikely that a no-fly zone would be agreed to at this point, President Biden, as you mentioned, Jim, is expected to announce $800 million in new security assistance for Ukraine later this morning. On that list, anti-tank missiles, as well as cash. We have more of those details coming up for you.

Also, next week, the president will make an in-person visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels.

SCIUTTO: Once again, we're covering the story as only CNN can. Our CNN team following all the major developments across the country of this crucial address.

First, let's begin in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. CNN's senior international correspondent Sam Kiley is there. Sam, this is Zelenskyy's third major address in hours to western

countries. But, of course, the U.S., the most powerful military in the world. One that he has repeatedly appealed to for additional help as his country is at war.

How critical is this moment for Ukraine?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Stand by. Got it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

(INAUDIBLE).

KILEY: So, we have an extraordinary moment in history for the Ukrainian president, an address to the joint houses of the Congress, just as he did the beginning of this round of international outreach effectively when he addressed both houses of parliament in the United Kingdom.

[08:59:52]