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Talks Underway Between Ukraine, Russia as War Intensifies; Biden on Putin Remark, I Was Expressing My Outrage, Not Policy Change; Ukraine Claims Russian Troops Withdrawing From Kyiv, Chernihiv. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired March 29, 2022 - 07:00   ET

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

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SNIZHANA, FLED KYIV, UKRAINE: Houses are broken now.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voice over): When you're drawing, does it make you feel calmer?

SNIZHANA: Yes, thinking about the good things, about a perfect life.

ABDELAZIZ: An entire generation of children desperately trying to cling to their lives before war.

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ABDELAZIZ (on camera): I think what was so hard to see, John, was that each of these children was trying to make sense of something that we can't make sense of as adults, right, an unprovoked war, a brutal, brutal invasion of their country. They don't know if they will go home. They don't know if their homes still stand. They've left behind their cats, their dogs. They're talking about their friends like normal children, but they also understand that their lives are forever changed.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Imagine like that boy told you every morning waking up hoping for peace and that the soldiers will protect him. Salma, that was lovely. You keep showing us such an important side of life here in Ukraine. Thank you so much.

New Day continues right now.

Good morning to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. It is Tuesday, March 29th, I'm John Berman in Lviv, in Western Ukraine. Brianna Keilar is in Washington.

There is breaking news this morning, Russia and Ukraine talking at this very moment, discussions in Istanbul. This is the first time they met in weeks. No one should think these negotiations will be easy. No one should be overly optimistic. But there does seem to be more ceremony surrounding the talks today. We are watching them very closely. That as the relentless Russian attacks intensify in some places. Just before we came on air this morning, I was taking an interview with the mayor of Chernihiv. This is a badly damaged city northeast of Kyiv, and you could hear an explosion nearby.

The mayor hardly flinched. That is life in Ukraine. And you will hear from the mayor of Chernihiv in just a moment.

And this just into CNN, Russian forces hitting Mykolaiv's regional state administration building. Look at these pictures, destroying just half of it. It looks like there's a hole right in the middle of the building. Most employees were able to get out, but rescuers are looking for eight civilians and three military personnel who may be under the rubble still.

The mayor of Kyiv tells CNN the shelling of the capital has been relentless. Still Russian forces appear to be largely stalled in several parts of the country. That's according to a senior U.S. defense official. In Mariupol, Ukrainian officials say that 90 percent of the residential buildings in the city have been damaged or destroyed. 160,000 people still trapped there. And Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russian troops control all the evacuation routes out of the city.

In Lutsk, in Western Ukraine, the Russian bombed another fuel depot. They did it here over the weekend, setting off a raging fire. They have now targeted fuel depots in several locations around the country in recent days. Brianna?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEW DAY: Meantime, President Biden is refusing to walk back his off-the-cuff comment that Vladimir Putin cannot remain in power. He's offering no apologies.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Nobody believes we're going to take down -- I was talking about taking down Putin. Nobody believes that. The last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia. That's not part of it. I was expressing my outrage at the behavior of this man. It's outrageous. It's outrageous.

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KEILAR: Reaction from the Kremlin was swift, a Putin spokesman telling PBS that Biden's comments were quite alarming and a personal insult.

We're joined by Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon in Istanbul, where talks have been underway. Arwa, what can you tell us about the expectations for today?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the one hand, there aren't necessarily these massive expectations in the sense that something would be signed that would perhaps be a longer term peace deal. But that being said, Brianna, it's worth noting that what we have been hearing up until this point is that both sides continue to reach what is being best described as a middle ground. And, in fact, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did address both delegations prior to today's round of negotiations.

And among the comments that he made was also one that spoke about how there was sufficient framework for concrete moves to be made forward. What does that actually mean? What would that look like? Well, that, we don't know. These are very secretive negotiations happening behind closed doors.

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Based on the schedule that we saw, it looks like it's intense negotiations and you are for half an hour to an hour and then a break and then negotiations start again. And then both sides go off on a break presumably to debate what has been discussed up until that point.

We do, of course, know and have been reporting that the Ukrainian side is right now saying that they are willing to have this discussion about Ukraine being a non-nuclear neutral state. What does that mean? It effectively takes Ukraine joining NATO off the table, at least in the foreseeable future. That is one of Russia's key demands.

Sticking points, however, potentially very, very big ones, although they might get tabled for later, and that is, of course, the issue of Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014, and, of course, the fate of the Donbas region. What Ukraine has also said is that it is not willing to bargain or barter when it comes to the lives of its civilians, its sovereignty or its territorial integrity.

What a lot of people are actually and this is perhaps more realistically had optimistic about is this issue of humanitarian corridors. And we have been hearing from our correspondents and anchors on the ground about how vital those actually are. Creating multiple secure avenues and spaces for people to be able safely evacuate, because up until now, a lot of these humanitarian corridors have not been sufficiently safe. People, even though they believe they are able to take them to try to get to some sort of security have not been able to do so.

And then you have these growing unfolding humanitarian crises in a number of areas inside Ukraine under siege. That also needs to be addressed. People need basic necessities. They need to be able to be safe.

KEILAR: Yes, especially in Mariupol, where hearing 90 percent of the civilian buildings there are bombed. Arwa Damon live for us Istanbul watching the talks there, thank you.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby is going to be joining us shortly.

BERMAN: All right. We do have breaking news. We just showed you devastating pictures from the city of Mykolaiv. This is in Southern Ukraine. We saw a municipal building there. There it is, right there, half of it just destroyed by a relentless Russian air attack. Well, we just got word that three people were killed in that attack. Ukrainian officials say three people have been killed, 18 more pulled from the rubble injured, now in the hospital. So, the attack on that building in Mykolaiv, deadly. We'll have much more on that for you as information comes in.

In the meantime, Chernihiv, which is about 90 miles northeast of Kyiv, has seen relentless shelling since the war began, since Russia invaded this country. We have this video, we're showing you, of the extensive damage to the city.

The mayor of Chernihiv, Vladyslav Atroshenko, he's driving down the roads here. This is the video he is showing. He joined me earlier today. Here is that conversation.

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BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, I see where you're standing and it's just destroyed. Tell me what's happened to your city.

MAYOR VLADYSLAV ATROSHENKO, CHERNIHIV, UKRAINE: Our city has been under attack from shells and airstrikes for more than a month. Where I'm standing now, this is the site where a cruise missile has struck. The direction of this missile was from Belarus. It came from Belarus. And we know this because the location is such that it couldn't have come from anywhere else.

This is the site of the Shore (ph) Cinema. And so we can say with confidence that the Russian army is waging this war not against the armed forces of Ukraine but against civilians. They are striking against civilians and they have been under -- our city has been under sustained attack from mortar shells and -- from mortar shelling and from airstrikes. The mortars are striking from a long distance and the shells are 120 millimeters. So, we can say that these are not high precision and they are striking on civilian neighborhoods. We have enough proof so we can say that this is fascism and genocide.

In the last three week, we lost 350 people. The vast majority of these are civilians. Yesterday overnight, we had an attack on our residential neighborhood called Lotkamp (ph) and we have currently two hospitals, which are full of casualties. We have had 400 people in hospital now.

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And over the last day, 30 people went into hospital. That's the intensity of the attacks. And the vast majority of these are civilians.

BERMAN: How many people are left living in the city and how many people total have been killed?

VLADYSLAV: So, before the war, we had 290,000 people live in Chernihiv. Now, there are only about 110,000 left. The total number of people who died of these attacks, we estimate this at about 350 or somewhere or it's somewhere between 300 and 400. We don't have exact figures and the reason for this is because we can only account people who died in hospital.

But a lot of people die as soon as the bomb strikes. And so there's an explosion and the people are gone. We cannot identify them. We cannot state legally that they are dead. So, they are not counted either among the living or among the dead. And also people who get into -- straight into mortuaries, those people are counted by the armed forces and the prosecutor's office.

So, we estimate an approximate number of between 300 and 400, but it isn't really possible to tell you exactly how many died.

BERMAN: Do you have enough food, humanitarian supplies? How long do you think you can hold out?

VLADYSLAV: We will definitely survive. We will hold on for as long as necessary until our victory. We will definitely survive and we shall not surrender. We will push the occupiers away.

BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, what was that?

VLADYSLAV: You have just heard an explosion. That means something has flown in to attack us. You can give this recording to your military and they will tell you that this not our explosion. This isn't us striking something. This is something that has come from the enemy side.

BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, are you safe right now?

VLADYSLAV: Absolutely nowhere is safe in the city now because the city is under attack from the enemy and the enemy is striking everywhere. Absolutely everywhere, this is not high-precision strikes. These are blanket fire. And it is deliberately aimed at the civilian population. They are exterminating civilians.

BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, I met a boy. I met 15-year-old boy who was forced from his home near Chernihiv at gunpoint. Go ahead.

VLADYSLAV: I'm sorry. One minute attention, please. I can give you an example recently. A shell struck a line for bread. It was a bread line, people standing in line to buy bread and 14 people died immediately and 18 people were injured.

BERMAN: Mr. Mayor, thank you for joining us. We hope help gets to your city soon. Please stay as safe as you can. Thank you.

VLADYSLAV: Thank you, bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: That's the mayor, Vladyslav Atroshenko, our thanks to him.

So, the breaking news this morning, Ukraine claims that Russian forces are withdrawing from the areas around two cities. That city you were just looking at, Chernihiv, didn't sound like they were withdrawing, also Kyiv. Pentagon Press Secretary will join us next.

Plus my exclusive discussion with a Ukrainian soldier who was injured in the fight to defend his country.

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BERMAN: All right. Breaking news, we're getting word from Istanbul that this round of discussions between Ukrainian and Russian officials there, this round has wrapped up, we are told and we are expecting a statement from Ukrainian President Zelenskyy within the next few minutes. So, we'll watch that closely to get a readout of what was discussed and if there was any progress.

In the meantime, breaking just a few minutes ago, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that certain units of Russia's military are withdrawing from the battlefronts around Kyiv and from the northern city of Chernihiv, where we just spoke to the mayor and heard a bomb go off during the discussion.

Joining me now is Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby. Thank you so much for being with us. The Ukrainians say that some troops are withdrawing, Russian troops from the capital and the north. What evidence of that, if any, are you seeing?

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: We haven't seen anything that can corroborate that, John. What we have seen, and, of course, this is obviously some breaking news here, so we're not able to independently verify any withdrawal. However, we have seen over the last few days that the Russians stopped advancing on Kyiv. They certainly were trying to encircle it, couldn't do it, got pushed back to the east by some 55 kilometers by the Ukrainians and then dug in sort of in defensive positions to the north and northwest of Kyiv. So, not seeing a withdrawal, certainly can't verify that. But what we have seen over the last couple of days is they have stopped trying to advance on Kyiv.

BERMAN: Well, one other bit of news this morning, the Russian defense minister put out a statement which seemed to be in line with what we heard from a general last week. He said that the first phase, he claims, of the Russian operation is over. And now their focus will be on the east and the Donbas region. My question to you is have you seen any evidence or what evidence have you seen of the Russians refocusing their efforts?

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KIRBY: I think that Russian general is being generous in terms of their ability to phase military operations. I mean, they were clearly not ready and not prepared and not able to take Kyiv, they dug in defensively, started to experience counterattacks by the Ukrainians. And I think began to reassess whether or not they really can move on Kyiv. He calls it a phase. I think they were really, really surprised by the resistance they got from the Ukrainians that way.

We have seen indications that they are trying to reprioritize on the east Donbas area of Ukraine, which as you know, John, they have been fighting over for eight years. The Ukrainians have been in a hot war for a long time in that region. We think there's a couple things that maybe up to that. One, they may be trying to cut off Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east, kind of pin them down so that they can't come to the aid of their colleagues in the south or further away in the west. It could also be a negotiating tactic. It could be that Mr. Putin wants to have some sort of success, some sort of ground taken so that then we sit down at the table, he has got some kind of leverage.

Now, again, we don't know how these talks in Istanbul went, or it could just be that he's now decided that his larger, maximalist goals clearly have failed and so maybe the Donbas is an area where he can maybe achieve some success.

I would tell you, though, John, we continue to see the Ukrainians fight just as hard in the east. It's not a foregone conclusion. They are fighting very, very hard. They are not willing to cede an inch of their territory on the ground, that's for sure.

BERMAN: So, the White House yesterday clarified something that the president said earlier. But in doing so, they said that U.S. forces are interacting regularly with

Ukrainian soldiers in Poland. What exactly does that mean, interacting how?

KIRBY: I think this probably refers to the manner in which we are helping provide material and assistance in getting that into Ukraine. As you know, we had trainers on the ground and we had to move them outside of Ukraine as the invasion looked like it was going to be imminent. We had some Florida National Guard actually not far from where you are right now, John, and we had to move them outside the country.

So, there's no active training right now, but there's probably some interactions just in terms of the transshipments of material and assistance.

BERMAN: So, no active training in Poland?

KIRBY: Well, we are, actually. Our troops are training in Poland, absolutely. We're training with Polish allies --

BERMAN: Training the Ukrainians?

KIRBY: I think the interactions are really more around the transshipment of materials, but there're interactions.

BERMAN: Have the Russians been able to disrupt the supply lines? Not, I know, in Poland, because that's where U.S. and NATO troops are. But have they been able to disrupt any of the supplies once they have come into Ukraine as they move particularly through the western part of the country?

KIRBY: We have not seen any interruptions, any attacks on the ground routes by which this security assistance is getting into Ukraine. But, John, I mean, you can understand we're monitoring that very, very closely. We're varying the routes as needed. We're being very careful on operational security so that this material can continue to get in. The Russians have a lot on their plate right now. I mean, they are, as we said, dug in around Kyiv and maybe even moving in the opposite direction there. We don't know. Certainly, they have got a reprioritization in the east and they have stalled in the south. That's really interesting because in the early days, that's where they were making the most progress. Now, the Ukrainians are clawing back territory in the south as well.

So, they got their hands full on a lot of things but we're watching that very, very closely because we want to make sure that this security assistance, these weapons and systems continue to get into the Ukrainians' hands so that they can use them on the battlefield.

Secretary Austin had a chance to discuss this with his counterpart last week when were in Europe. And Minister Reznikov, the minister of defense, assured the secretary that they are grateful for the stuff they are getting and that they are actually using it.

BERMAN: We continue to see inexplicable suffering in Mariupol, that city on the Sea of Azov. And, obviously, the human toll is profound. What is the strategic value to the Russians if that city falls into their hands?

KIRBY: So, it's difficult to know exactly what's in the Russian mind, but if you just look at a map, you can see how Mariupol would be important to what they are trying to do. First of all, it secures land access between the Donbas, the eastern part of the country and Crimea. You kind of have to go through Mariupol for that. It also would allow them, if, in fact, their intention is to fix Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east part of the country and prevent their leaving, if you were able to come up from the north from Mariupol and come down from that town called Izyum, which they have move past, the Russians have move past.

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You can see where a pincer movement might be of value.

And, clearly, if you take the Russian claim at face value that they want to reprioritize on the Donbas region, Mariupol sits right at the south part of that region, so you can see where it would be important to them.

But, again, you said it really well, John. I mean, the Ukrainians are fighting hard to keep Mariupol from falling. They are very bravely in the fight and it's quite incredible, that with all the force and power that the Russians have put on Mariupol, they have not been able to take it yet.

BERMAN: You have expressed to me and others concern over the last few weeks of Russians considering or perhaps using chemical or biological or, God forbid, even nuclear weapons here. Have you heard anything in the last few days, anything additional which provides information that this is something that they would be considering?

KIRBY: No, sir, we haven't seen any indications that they are preparing to use chemical or biological weapons. We're watching this. Obviously, you might imagine, we're watching it very, very closely, monitoring it the best we can. But there's no indications at this time that they are preparing to use weapons of mass destruction inside of Ukraine. You have heard the president talk about this. That certainly would force a response by not only the United States but by the international community.

BERMAN: Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby, I appreciate you calling me sir, but, as you know, I have no rank but I appreciate it, nonetheless. Thanks so much for being with us this morning.

KIRBY: Yes, sir. Thank you.

BERMAN: Coming up, why Senator Mitt Romney is warning NATO about a 2024 Donald Trump presidency. And amateur radio enthusiasts tuning into conversations by Russian troops being held over unsecure lines. We'll play for you what they picked up.

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