Return to Transcripts main page

First Move with Julia Chatterley

Former Russian Gas Executive & Family Found Dead in Spain; Ukraine's Finance Minister: We Need $5B a Month to Survive; Russian Critics of Putin Risk Management and Worse; Evgenia Kara-Murza: Over 15,000 People have been Arrested Russia for Opposing the War; Musk Says He Has Lined up $46.5B to Finance Twitter Bid. Aired 09-10a ET

Aired April 22, 2022 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN HOST, FIRST MOVE: You're watching CNN. I'm Julia Chatterley in New York. Today disturbing new evidence of potential genocide

in Mariupol satellite images appear to show rows of mass graves. Russian soldiers are accused of burying the bodies of countless civilians,

including women and children. There appear to be more than 200 new graves in these pictures. The Mayor of Mariupol is calling it evidence of war

crimes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VADYM BOICHENKO, MARIUPOL MAYOR: We have around 20,000 dead - civilian deaths in Mariupol. And these were people who were buried by enemy shelling

by enemy bombardment buried under the rubble. And at the moment, we are witnessing the enemy trying to hide the evidence of their crimes using the

instrument of mass graves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: Overnight in the east heavy fighting reported in Donetsk and Luhansk. Evacuation attempts were disrupted by Russian shelling; the

bombardment prevented a bus packed with evacuees from safely leaving town. And in his nightly address President Zelenskyy criticized Russia for

rejecting an offer for an Easter truce. He says that reflects how the Kremlin treats the Christian faith.

And amid the devastation talk of keeping the economy afloat and rebuilding too, Ukraine's finance minister is in Washington D.C. for talks. We discuss

what the country needs, which he singles out for their ongoing support, and why Ukraine will never surrender? For the latest on the evacuation efforts

here's Matt Rivers.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Julia, we are outside of the train station here in Lviv, Ukraine. We're right around. Now we're expecting a

train filled with people from Mariupol the lucky few who have been able to get out there will be coming here to either stay in Lviv or perhaps go

across the border into Poland or other places around Europe.

Each person will have an individual plan of course, and that is the scene that we have been witnessing here in Lviv for weeks now. The difference now

though, is that the number of people coming out of Mariupol is just so much smaller than it needs to be.

We've seen several straight days of humanitarian corridors both yesterday and the day before not produce the desired results with just a trickle.

We're talking about dozens of people being able to leave Mariupol because the Ukrainian says the Russians have not respected ceasefires that would

need to be in place for people to be evacuated safely.

Despite the fact that Russia says that it will provide safe passage to anyone who wants to leave that just is not the reality that we are seeing

on the ground. And today no evacuation corridors have been set up to give people an outlet to get out of Mariupol including the people that are

trapped inside that Azovstal Steel Plant complex that has really become the center of Ukraine's resistance in the city of Mariupol.

It was yesterday that a few hundred people tried to leave Mariupol and the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister saying they couldn't even get on the bus

that was sent for them because of shelling that was right near the bus. So it's just simply not safe.

Meanwhile, we continue to see increased fighting overnight with intense fighting in the regions Donetsk and Luhansk regional military officials

there are saying that Russian forces are trying to push through those Ukrainian frontlines, still no clear advances for Russian troops but the

fighting is intensify in the east.

No question about that. And finally, Julia, we heard from a top Russian military official who said publicly that the second phase of this war

includes not only trying to get complete control over the Donbas region in the east but also control what he called Southern Ukraine. It includes

places like Mariupol for example, whether that includes other places further west like Odessa, he did not clarify.

But we're getting further insight into the Russian military leadership thinking on the way this war is gonna play out, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Matt Rivers there. Now, many have evacuated but many remain and as fighting intensifies across the Donbas region civilians are forced to

hide in underground shelters as Ben Wedeman reports.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Julia Russian forces continue to try to seize control of the town of - which is about an hour

and a half drive east of here, but they're running into stiff resistance by the Ukrainian defenders.

We were able to go to a vantage point overlooking the city and watched as artillery rounds fell on all parts the northern part which is controlled by

the Russians, the southern part, which is controlled by Ukrainian forces. And in the southern part of - we found a small group of people trying to

survive hiding under fire.

[09:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN (voice over): And it begins again. Hell rings down a dozen people are hiding in the basement of a bombed out theater in the town of --. Let

it stop Oh Lord, he says, now there's incoming. White flag hangs outside to no effect.

The theater above has been bombed and bombed again and again. Yet they stay. Too poor too old, too frightened to flee. Nina 89 years old has been

here for five weeks. I want to go home she says I've suffered too much. I've seen the fire and the smoke. I've seen it all I'm scared.

Nina's plea simple, help us help us. Her daughter - struggles to comfort her.

We're praying to God to stop it she says to hear us. She says I have nowhere to go. I have no friends, no relatives. With the shelling

intensifying, volunteers are finding it hard to deliver food. As Russian and Ukrainian forces fight for control of - there are people down there

praying as hell rains down.

WEDEMAN (on camera): And the people in that shelter clearly are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. But it's not post it's ongoing.

They've been down there for weeks. There's no electricity, we brought light with our television cameras.

There's no running water. Toilet facilities are abysmal. And they are just traumatized by this constant shelling. We were only there and I timed it

only 36 minutes. And in that time, we heard at least six or perhaps seven maybe more incoming shells, Julia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHATTERLEY: Thanks to Ben Wedeman there. Now Spanish police are investigating the death of a former Russian gas company executive and

members of his family. The discovery came just a day after another Russian gas executive and part of his family were found dead in Moscow too.

Nic Robertson joins us now; two Russian oligarchs both linked to gas giants triggering questions about whether this was perhaps an organized murder or

even a murder suicide? Nic, what more do we know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, details are thin. We know that Spanish investigators are looking at the discovery of the body

of a man and two women Sergey - and his wife and daughter found in their home in or just near Barcelona.

This again raises questions as you say, why did they die? How did they die? And this came just a day after the discovery in Moscow and their apartment

and apartment that was locked from the inside of Vladislav Avaev again another reasonably senior executive Gazprombank Vice President.

Russians say that they're investigating his death and that of his wife and daughter who were found with him as a murder suicide. But it's not unusual

at all. And it's happened in full glare of international publicity that critics of the Kremlin have been murdered overseas even questionable

deaths.

A former Russian banker found inside his locked bathroom apparently having taken his own life. But questions still remain about precisely the

toxicology of his blood and the nature of his death. So it is, of course raising questions at the moment that there's a potential here that this was

somehow the work of the Kremlin.

Russian officials are saying that the death of - in Moscow is a murder suicide. So they're clearly trying to say this has nothing to do with a

state sanctioned targeting and killing. But the question are going to remain until investigators come up with their full investigations and the

Spanish earnestly engaged in that outside Barcelona right now.

CHATTERLEY: I mean, that was one of the questions I was going to raise with you. I mean, what we know from the impact of sanctions particularly for

those Russians living abroad but also for those living domestically that life has probably materially altered in the past few weeks as a result of

this war.

[09:10:00]

CHATTERLEY: But I think you touched on something that we all question when we see a headline like this, which is whether or not there was, indeed any

criticism of the Kremlin attached to either of these two individuals that perhaps would give us some indication, perhaps.

ROBERTSON: You know, it would not be unreasonable to have Russian officials, former senior executives, use for sort of holding strong views,

voicing views amongst friends, we know that the Kremlin at the moment has been calling on people to inform on people who aren't being patriotic.

I think what would be really extraordinary is to find two such executives on consecutive days, who were willing to murder not only their own wives,

apparently, according to Russian narrative, but also their grown daughters, in any stretch of anyone's imagination.

These coincidences here don't add up. And I think that's what troubles anyone who's looking at this at the moment, and had they criticize the

Kremlin? Certainly not that we're have aware of yet but it even to have done it, not publicly to have just done it within their own social circle,

we know carries risks. As I say the Kremlin has told people to inform if their friends neighbors are being unpatriotic.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, I think that's the quote of the show coincidences that don't add up. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that. Now major

challenges facing the International Monetary Fund during its meetings in Washington, the war in Europe, calls for more support to help Ukraine

rebuild and rising inflation around the world. Richard Quest has been discussing it all with the funds that managing director.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: The reason is well known we have a country that invaded the neighbor. And there

are many that find this so unacceptable that being in the same room with representatives of this country is difficult.

But I would flag that despite of this the meetings were exceptionally engaged, sober, focus on the big issues we are struggling with.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the big issue on economic - well, it's the Ukraine, but I mean, more support for Ukraine from the fund, more

willingness to stand by for what more can you do?

GEORGIEVA: For Ukraine, we have already provided $1.4 billion in emergency financing. We are very closely engaged with the authorities. Richard, they

are fantastic in the way they keep the country running. And we are working with the World Bank and others to mobilize more resources, we opened up a

special account for Ukraine and Canada has already deposited 1 billion Canadian dollars in it.

Of course, what we want to secure for Ukraine is that over the next couple of months, they would have the cash to pay pension salaries, retained

social services.

QUEST: But can the rest of the world essentially fund Ukraine? The number of 4 to 5 billion among is tucked off?

GEORGIEVA: Yes.

QUEST: Can the rest of the world do that for the foreseeable future?

GEORGIEVA: For a couple of months? Yes, I don't see any problem with that. And don't forget that the country is not entirely under occupation. They

are big parts of Ukraine where the economy is reviving. So we expect to see more revenues coming into the budget this number to go down over time.

Plus Ukraine has now over 4 million people outside of the country. We will see remittances are coming in as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: Coming up on the show, closing the funding gap, Ukraine's Finance Minister gives an urgent appeal to international partners to help

keep the Ukrainian economy afloat. He's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:00]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back! Ukraine's economy needs $5 billion a month for the next three months to stay afloat. That's according to the country's

finance minister. He told me current cash revenue is barely half of what the country needs for its primary budget expenses.

Ukraine estimates suggest $120 billion worth of infrastructure damage in just the first month of the war alone; $29 billion worth of housing has

been destroyed. Nearly a third of all companies in Ukraine have ground to a halt. That gives you a sense of the devastation of the economy that we're

seeing too.

The Finance Minister Marchenko was in Washington D.C. for talks and had various estimates of what the country actually requires. I asked him to

clarify.

SERGII MARCHENKO, UKRAINE FINANCE MINISTER: It's a good question because right now we need to explain it for all our meetings. And just I want you

to enjoy that right now. We need a bridge to be normal. So we need time for our army to win this war so for our people to get necessary support from a

government.

That's why the right figure is $5 billion per month. And we just want to say - for three months, April, May and June. And then we realize how to fix

our balance sheet, our budget and prepare a necessary step may be to increase some tax policy measures or maybe some costs on our expenditures

because you know, it's not so easy made a reduction on your expenses, because we already made 6 billion reduction of our budget. So I have seen -

I have - I haven't seen enough room to do another cutting.

CHATTERLEY: $15 billion for the next three months?

MARCHENKO: Yes.

CHATTERLEY: Is that for every month, the war continues? So if the war continues, you'll need more.

MARCHENKO: You know, we'll prefer to things that will - be on this war as early as possible, because it's a mood of our people. It's a behavior of

our army. So we will prefer to tell about this very short period of time because it will continue longer. We will have to do other steps.

CHATTERLEY: And how long will they currently commit financing including the money that the central bank has raised the war bonds that you've issued?

How long would that last you if you don't get this support now? How long have you got?

MARCHENKO: You know, we're already collected through our war bonds around $1 billion per month. Also, our central bank supports us a little bit but

you know, we can't rely on them in huge conditions because it could create some inflation spiral and we don't - we want it--

[09:20:00]

MARCHENKO: We want to prevent this spiral. So for us is very important to find enough support from our international partners, from IMF, from World

Bank from different other countries in a way to flood our budget with foreign aid money to be able to support our currency to support our

economy.

CHATTERLEY: The International Institute of Finance said, even if that gap that we're talking about is only $3 billion, the amount of external

financing you have won't last you beyond the end of this month. I guess the point that I'm trying to get at is what the international community need to

realize this, this is an emergency, its financial emergency.

MARCHENKO: So we also reiterated this message again, and again. We don't want you to support us for a long period of time. We need this short period

of time to receive as much support as possible. It could be some armored vehicles, it could be rebounds.

But of course, the most important fund as a minister of finance, for us is additional money from abroad, which you can use on our needs, because it's

money we can just spend on some humanitarian needs for social protection for our people.

You know, I just tell you one figure. Our revenue now covers only 54 percent of our primary budget spending, which excluded debt service as

excluded military. So we exclude military spending an - just not enough to cover all our budget needs.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's a stark fact. You've also said you need grants, not loans. And you at the finance ministry have shared where the money is

coming from. And it's primarily government borrowing and its war bonds. And that is incredibly expensive money to rise.

You came to the IMF and said, look, there are other options. There are the unused COVID funds, the Special Drawing Rights you'd welcome 15 year loans

at a 1 percent interest rate. What concrete proposals have you heard and promises have you heard of money because these are good suggestions?

MARCHENKO: Yes, we proposed several options how different - can support Ukraine. One option is you mentioned before IMF administrators' account,

which can collect some non SDR which not spread so economy of different counties, which collected on the - accounts, which allocated by IMF in

2021.

And we are eager to ask different countries to just share some part of these special drawing rights to Ukraine so to get us alive in this very

critical moment of time. And as another option I want to mention as well, is multi donor trust fund which was created by World Bank, it's another

options, except of Special Drawing Rights, you can provide some guarantees some direct loans through this mechanism.

So and we discussed this with our partners, with G7 counties, and G20 countries in a way that countries can choose either to provide us SDR or to

provide us guarantee or loans through multi donor trust funds. Are they open to it? Did they say yes?

MARCHENKO: You know, its question of their internal discussions. But what I want to tell you that there are huge expectations around that people

support us that they provide us some great messages that we was you, - so we can find necessary, unnecessary pressure on our politicians to give you

support.

But again, I just want to tell you only for this particular moment of time, I am happy to tell you that United States and other states provide us

additional grant finance $500 million it's worth mentioned yesterday by your president.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, President Biden I know you spoke to your president yesterday, Prime Minister yesterday, too. Do you get the sense that America

will continue to provide weapons to provide money until you win the war?

MARCHENKO: I feel as this desire to help Ukraine. And it's not just on the words its real actions.

[09:25:00]

MARCHENKO: And I'm very grateful that support the United States provide for Ukraine. And I also want to mention Canada. Freeland is a great friend of

Ukraine. I also want to mention the United Kingdom, as well other countries of our partners.

But again, and again, I want this message to be compromised or transferred into real money in our budget, because we really need it right now.

CHATTERLEY: I know. And the truth is what you're asking for is a fraction of the $40 to $50 billion that Europe has paid to Russia, since this

invasion began for energy supplies. And at the heart of that is Germany. Your government refused to welcome the President of Germany recently to

Kyiv. Germany is also struggling to provide heavy weaponry. What's the message to Germany at this moment from the Ukrainian government?

MARCHENKO: I don't want to be diplomatic right now, because the Minister of Finance. So I met with my German colleague, and we discussed the

possibility to additional support from Germany to Ukraine. And you mentioned that Russia received 1 billion per day, from oil supply just only

oil supplies to different countries.

And we have 60 more than $60 million per day losses. So if you compare these figures, you can realize how suffering we are.

CHATTERLEY: I know. I'm going to ask you to be a diplomat and a representative of your government one more time, because the last time you

and I spoke, you said Ukraine will not give up one inch of territory to Russia in order to get peace in order to end this war. Does that still hold

it still hold?

MARCHENKO: It still holds and I can deliver any other message for you because I believe that our society I want to struggle to the end of this

for when we as the last meter of our land will be under our control. So it's our - in all people of our country saying I believe the same.

CHATTERLEY: And if Russia manages to take the east of the country the Donbas region and when that wills Ukraine fight to take it back? There will

be no surrender.

MARCHENKO: There will be no surrender. And we will continue this war till the end.

CHATTERLEY: OK, message heard loud and clear. Final question how's your family doing? I know you've been separated now for even longer?

MARCHENKO: Yes, it's not the nature to be far from your family. I'm in Kyiv, my family is in Western Ukraine in safe, safer condition. And

moreover, I want to tell you that my parents were in that territory which occupied by Russia some period of time maybe 40 cooperation without a

possibility to call them to ask them how are they?

So it's not easy, but everybody in our country is struggling so I also think that its price and which we should eager to pay and we are able to

choose us victory.

CHATTERLEY: OK, coming up. I speak to the wife of detained Kremlin Critic Vladimir Kara-Murza about his arrest, potential new charges. And despite

the risks his ongoing pleas for peace, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

CATTERLEY: Welcome back! This morning Russian Opposition Politician Vladimir Kara-Murza is still in custody. After being arrested last week in

Russia the same day he called Putin's government "A regime of murderous" during a CNN interview.

Kara-Murza was charged with failing to follow a lawful order from a police official. But yet even from prison, he has continued to speak out against

the war. And after 15 days locked up he's scheduled to be released next week. But he could be facing ten more years in jail newly unveiled charges

for spreading "False information" about Russia's military.

Joining us now is his wife Evgenia Kara-Murza. She's also the Project Manager of the Free Russia Foundation. Evgenia, good to have you on the

show! What can you tell us about these latest charges and where your husband is?

EVGENIA KARA-MURZA, WIFE OF DETAINED RUSSIAN POLITICIAN VLADIMIR KARA- MURZA: Good morning, Julia, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to speak. Well at around 4 am today I received a call from my

husband's Russian lawyer 4 am Eastern Time.

And saying that my husband had been transferred to the Russian Investigative Committee and the criminal case against him was being

initiated under Article 207.3. A new article introduced after the war already had broken out and titled dissemination of knowingly false

information about the use of Russian forces in Ukraine, or Russian Armed Forces.

Of course, this article was meant to intimidate people intimidate Russian civil society scurried into silence about what's happening in Ukraine. And

of course, my husband would not do that he would not be intimidated by something like this.

And so since then, he was charged on this article, and he was transferred to the Moscow - court, where he is now. He's facing five to ten years in

prison for his civic stand for his refusal to give in - to give up his fight.

And while they're going to - as we speak, I'm sorry for being a little worried and out of breath, but they are actually choosing the measure of

restraint right now, because right now the court hearing is taking place in Moscow, where they will choose the measure of restraint against my husband.

[09:35:00]

CHATTERLEY: Please do not apologize for struggling to speak about this because everybody watching, are trying to imagine what you're feeling at

this moment and can't, to be honest, not many people can perhaps even only one can at this moment.

And it's Alexei Navalny's wife and family too. He has been honest about the war. He's talked about it as a war not a special operation. Do you believe

that they're going to use this, the Kremlin Vladimir Putin as an opportunity to put him in prison for up to ten years? Do you think he even

has a chance of fighting this?

KARA-MURZA: Well honestly, the Russian Investigative Committee has so much to choose from when it comes to my husband. My husband has been a very

outspoken critic of the Putin regime basically since Mr. Putin came to power.

And my husband has been advocating for the introduction of personal targeted sanctions for over ten years now. And he was poisoned twice for

his advocacy. And, of course, he refused to call this war special operation, and to be silent about Putin's armies atrocities committed on a

daily basis in Ukraine.

And of course, he had to speak out. So honestly, my husband's entire biography can be just you know they have a lot to pick out from. As for

fighting, we will absolutely continue to fight for his release, and for the release of all political prisoners in Russia.

And, against this war in Ukraine, we will continue fighting. And my husband is definitely not alone right now, because over a 15,000 people have been

arrested since the beginning of the atrocities in Ukraine.

Over 15,000 People all across Russia have been detained. And hundreds of people are currently serving jail sentences, unlawful jail sentences for

opposing the war, for saying no to the regime for saying no, this war is not in our name.

So all these people are fighting and my husband believed he needed to be where people are fighting this evil regime. And this is why he went back to

Russia he wanted to show that we should not be afraid. Because while as Winston Churchill said when you're going through how, just keep.

CHATERLEY: Keep going.

KARA-MURZA: We will keep going.

CHATTERLEY: Evgenia you have children, you and Vladimir. Have you told them? Have you spoken to them? And how do you explain his decision to go

back to Russia to face this and not be with them to say goodnight to them or hug them in the morning? How do you explain that decision to them?

KARA-MURZA: Well, their father is a politician, and he's a human rights fighter. So I know that they're very worried about him. But I think that

the down they're proud of him as they should be. And we've never tried to hide anything from them.

Because it's while it's pointless, you know, kids, in today's world, they're so much tech savvy than we can ever hope to be. So our 16-year-old

will find out everything on her own, on social media. So I'd rather I or the one to talk to her.

And well, sometime today, when they're back to school level, sit them down. And I will have this talk with him and by their five other not probably,

not coming home next week as they hoped but probably much later.

CHATTERELY: I think sometimes the greatest show of love is fighting for their future, a better future. Evgenia, what could Russia without Putin?

What could Russia be?

KARA-MURZA: Russia could be a normal, democratic country with our own independent system of justice, with which we could be able to prosecute our

own scoundrels with free media, free speech, with people unafraid to speak out their minds.

[09:40:00]

KARA-MURZA: To be against the government, to speak out against the government, a normal democratic country where you wouldn't be afraid to go

out in the street with, you know a copy of Leo Tolstoy's War in peace.

Two people were arrested just recently one in Bucha and one in Moscow for holding silent actions in the street with a copy of Leo Tolstoy's War in

peace. My husband doesn't want his children to be afraid to speak out. My husband wants them to be able to go back to Russia whenever they choose,

and live in a free country.

CHATTERLEY: And not live in fear. You know, Vladimir better than anyone else in the world? What do you think he's thinking at this moment?

KARA-MURZA: I think well, he's thinking that, well, we're going to keep going. We will get through this. I'm sure he's thinking that we will get

through this. And Russia will be free even if it takes us longer, even if it's more difficult that that we could ever have imagined, but we'll get

through it. And our country will be free.

CHATTERLEY: Evgenia, if Russian women, Russian families, Russian mothers, watch this interview, what would you like them to know about your sacrifice

and about your family's sacrifice?

KARA-MURZA: It's not just my family's sacrifice. So many people are suffering across Russia right now. So many families are--

CHATTERLEY: Ukraine.

KARA-MURZA: Oh, not to mention Ukraine. 11 million people were forced to leave their homes over 4 million people were forced to leave their country

fearing for their children's lives. This is unthinkable. So I just will keep going through how and we'll get and we'll get out of it eventually.

And I hope sooner rather than later.

CHATTERLEY: Evgenia, I'm going to let you go. Our hearts are with you. Our hearts are with your children.

KARA-MURZA: Thank you.

CHATTERLEY: And we know you'll keep fighting. And we keep our fingers crossed for him, and for you. Thank you keeps fighting. You've said it. The

media is a weapon. And we will and have to keep talking about this. Thank you. Evgenia Kara-Murza there thank you. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back! Let me bring you up to speed with some of the other stories that making headlines around the world. Shanghai's government

says its severe COVID-19 lockdown will stay in place until community spread is eliminated. Authorities just launched a new testing campaign with plans

to conduct daily tests on millions of people. New infections have slowed a little but it's still around 17,000 cases per day.

A French court has issued an international arrest warrant for - the Former Head of car giant Renault Nissan going was arrested in Japan in 2018 after

the company accused him of financial misconduct. He fled to Lebanon before he could be tried - denies any wrongdoing.

And in the last minute push for two candidates in France before voters pick their next President on Sunday. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far right

challenger Marine Le Pen hold their final rallies today with campaigning to close at midnight. The latest polls suggest Macron has widened his lead

over Le Pen to as much as 15 points. CNN's Jim Bittermann joins us now from Paris.

Jim, great to have you with us! That's a far more comfortable lead as far as the polls are concerned than it has been right up to the last few days.

I guess the question is, will that the result look like this too?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a good question, Julia. We'll know that on Sunday, but I have to say that, in

fact, that poll is kind of an outlier. It's an opinion way poll that was published this morning - the financial newspaper here.

It's the highest spread that I've seen so far. And there was another poll out this morning that showed it a little closer, a little closer than that,

but Macron still comfortably ahead. So I think that they must be feeling pretty good in the Macron camp going on to Sunday's election.

We'll see how that comes out.

And as you mentioned, as of midnight tonight, everything stops. The campaigning stops for publicity stops. And you can't even - change their

websites after midnight tonight, until the votes are actually announced on Sunday night, Julia.

CHATTERLEY: 2017 they were incredibly close in the first round. And then I think Macron got two to one didn't even votes in the end. So it's always

quite quirky, with the French votes, at least in recent history.

Russia obviously featured in that debate that we saw two days ago. And Macron very much gloves off criticizing Marine Le Pen ties to Russia, even

Russian dissident Alexey Navalny weighing in on Marine Le Pen.

BITTERMANN: Exactly Julia, Navalny tweeted, before that debate the other night, that in fact, if voters of France have any choice, they should vote

for Mr. Macron. And the idea is that Madam Le Pen took this $10 million loan, by her own admission from a Russian bank.

And Navalny said in this tweet, he said, this is not just any bank. This is selling influence to Putin this as a well-known money laundering agency. So

he was quite vehement, and it was actually quite an unusual intervention by somebody outside of France to intervene at the French politics like that.

But it was out there. And then that then figured into the debate with Mr. Macron, saying that when he talks to Mr. Putin, it says a head of state and

when Madame Le Pen talks to her - to Mr. Putin, it's as her banker.

CHATTERLEY: Yes. Two very different candidates, two different views and visions of Europe and France, of course too, Jim we'll see on Sunday, Jim

Bittermann in Paris there, thank you. OK, up next funding secured. Elon Musk says he's the lined up with billions he needs for his Twitter takeover

bid. That's it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:50:00]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back! U.S. stock sliding in the first few minutes of trade today investors weighing up some stellar corporate earnings against

Thursday's hawkish comments from the Fed Chair Jerome Powell told the IMF spring meeting that a larger than expected interest rate rise of half a

percent was on the table in May.

U.S. Treasury interest rates or yields soared on those comments as stocks sold off. They were adjusting for inflation the ten years U.S. ten year

bond yield turned positive for the first time in two years. Meanwhile, Elon Musk says he's got the money he needs to buy Twitter, the Tesla CEO says

he's lined up $46.5 billion to finance the bid.

Paul R. LA. Monica joins us now to discuss I think we mean funding secured to use the old code that then caught tweet to that caused all the issues

before. It's secured on his assets, though, rather than on the assets of Twitter itself, which is unusual for buyouts but then that's the benefit of

being a team Tesla and being Elon Musk himself. Talk us through this potential financing arrangement.

PAUL R. LA MONICA, CNN REPORTER: Yes, when you are the world's wealthiest individual running a highly successful electric vehicle company, we saw how

strong Tesla earnings were earlier this week. That gives I think, Musk the confidence that he might be able to pull this off, he apparently is willing

to use about $21 billion of his own money via Tesla stock.

He has a margin loan commitment from Morgan Stanley for another 12.5 billion that brings you to 33.5 billion and then Morgan Stanley has debt

financing lined up for the remainder. So that's how you get to that $46 billion number that he talked about in the SEC filing.

And it's going to be fascinating to see because so far Twitter has just basically said that they've received the offer, and obviously they're going

to look at it. But all indications seem to suggest that Twitter is wary of Elon Musk and unless the price goes higher, they might say no, if you had

to ask me, which I assume you're going to, I think they're going to say no, at least initially.

CHATTERLEY: You've asked me so I shall ask you. You think they're going to say no. I was actually just googling myself looking at the Twitter share

price to see what the reaction was to and Twitter shareholders are saying, yes, negotiation required, I think and of course, the removal of the poison

pill that they injected last week.

LA MONICA: Exactly. Twitter clearly has shown through that poison pill that they are probably looking for Musk to either raise his price to get a deal

done or just walk away because they don't want to potentially deal with a distraction.

There are lots of stories out there about Twitter employees, some of them at least being very wary and nervous about a possible Elon Musk acquisition

of the company. But at the end of the day, I think any board that is going to do its fiduciary responsibility.

If Musk comes in and says OK, you got me we'll do a share and acquisition at an exponentially higher price than the one that he's offered. It's going

to be hard for Twitter to say no and Musk does have a lot of cash at his disposal if he decides to sell even more Tesla shares.

[09:55:00]

CHATTERLY: And then the fun really begins because we're not even talking about the implications for Twitter very quickly--

LA MONICA: Get your popcorn ready, Julia?

CHATTERLEY: Oh, yes. And then some we have to sell Tesla shares to do this.

LA MONICA: I think that he would likely need to sell a little bit more. He's already pledged to you know, sell some according to you know SEC

filings in the past year or so. I think he would probably have to do more unless he's able to get Morgan Stanley to up that debt financing side of

the equation which may be a little difficult now that interest rates are spiking.

CHATTERLEY: Oh, there you go. My second call to be quite Paul R. LA. Monica, thank you very much. It must be your line. It must be Friday. Thank

you for that. That's it for the show.

If you've missed any of our interviews today there will be on my Twitter and Instagram pages. Search for @juliachatterleycnn. Stay safe. "Connect

the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END