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Maternity & Children's Hospital Bombed In Mariupol, Ukraine; Domestic Police: 17 Casualties From Bombing Of Mariupol Hospital; Two Weeks Into Invasion, Putin's Army Stalled Outside Of Kyiv, Zelenskyy Still In Power; Ukrainians: Evacuation Convoys Blocked By Russian Forces; Kremlin: U.S. Waging Economic War On Russia; Thousands Escape Ukraine Through Safe Corridors; Now: VP Harris Enroute To Warsaw As U.S. Rejects Polish Jet Plan. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired March 09, 2022 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:00]

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, INSIDE POLITICS: Hello, and welcome to Inside Politics. I'm John King in Washington. Thank you for sharing this very sober news day with us. This hour right now, Russia accused of doing the unthinkable bombing a maternity hospital. You can see the awful pictures right here. This is Mariupol, victim stumbling out from the wreckage through snow and through ash. Inside the hospital, virtually nothing left intact, everything shattered.

Ukrainian officials say this building was packed with pregnant women, children and infants. Outside, you see a crater and you see scrap metal, at least 17 said to be hurt. Ukraine's president calling this hospital attacked an atrocity. He says, there are children, in the wreckage you see right there on your screen. President Zelenskyy also demanding more action from the West, that it agrees to impose a no-fly zone and that it agrees to do that now.

This new push for action follows warnings from the Ukrainian leader that his country is now trapped in a mass humanitarian catastrophe. evacuations are underway this hour in cities across the country. Already though there are reports that Russian forces are blocking routes through agreed upon green zones and that people are unable to escape.

In Sumy, you see here corpses of Russian tanks line the roadway, signs of the fierce and unrelenting firefights in Ukrainian resistance. Kyiv's mayor, the former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, warns his city can last a week, maybe two if Russia encircles the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAYOR VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV, UKRAINE: There are no rules. So, right now we see how many schools, preschools destroyed. How many civilians died in this war? The Russian explains just war against Ukrainian soldiers. It's not. It's not because thousands of the people to bring injury, killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's get live to Ukraine into Lviv, CNN's Scott McLean is there. Scott, we're seeing these pictures coming out of Mariupol in the south, just beyond heartbreaking.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And the information that we have right now is coming from the Ukrainian authorities and also from the horrifying videos that were shot at the scene. As you mentioned earlier, John, the latest update is that 17 people at least had been injured mothers and staff, but it is difficult to look at the videos that we're seeing now. And imagine that there weren't people who were killed and that there aren't more than 17 injured.

Those videos show absolute destruction on the ground. All of the windows had been blown out. Outside it looks like part of the building took a direct hit as well. Inside the building, there is hardly anything untouched. There is debris everywhere. Again, it is difficult to imagine anyone surviving.

And I just want to give you a bit of a color from what we're seeing in terms of commentary from those videos. In one, a voice says, we are on a maximum extend. Whatever cars you got, send them here. In another, someone is asking where the wounded kids from the maternity ward need to be taken, which hospital.

Again, they should be able to go to the hospital, but of course, it's been bombed. In another video, someone says that police are evacuating the wounded and the women in labor. In another, someone says you can see blood here. It looks like one of the injured has gotten out and they're calling out for anyone who might be alive in that building.

And John, it is important to keep in mind as well that Mariupol is a city that has essentially been cut off by Russian troops from the rest of the country. This is a city that is in dire, dire need. Even before all of this happened, lacking power, lacking water, lacking heat, self-service, that seems like the least of their worries at this point. And now all of a sudden you have this a hospital being hit.

The local government says, a maternity ward, a children's ward and an internal medicine ward all being hit. Now Mariupol is also a city that is trying to get people out through a humanitarian corridor. Obviously, this does not bode well for those efforts.

Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a half a dozen routes to get people out of cities and get desperately needed supplies in, but we are seeing mixed results. Some cities people have been starting to be able to get out, others especially to particular suburbs of Kyiv. They have abandoned the efforts because the local council there, says that the Russians are blocking the way of the convoy.

KING: Scott McLean, grateful for the live reporting on the scene. Bring us more if we get more information on Mariupol. Obviously, as we track this horrific attack on the hospital just moments ago. The American Secretary of State Tony Blinken here in Washington, says Russia is simply not serious, when it says it's trying and wants to help Ukrainians escape the war.

[12:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE: The Kremlin's proposals to create humanitarian corridors leading into Russia and Belarus are absurd. It's offensive to suggest the Ukrainian people should seek refuge from the very government that has demonstrated such disregard for their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Let's get some important expertise and perspective now. Retired four-star Army General David Petraeus joins us. He's the chairman of KKR Global Institute. Previously, of course, served as CIA director and as the top general in the U.S. Central Command. General Petraeus, it's grateful for your time. At this very sad moment, there is no defensible military strategy that would allow the bombing of a children's hospital or maternity ward.

But I just want to bring up on the map here and ask you your thoughts. As you watch this, we've had warnings that Russia backed into a corner. The plan is not going well at the two-week mark, we'd get even more atrocious in its attacks. Is there any Kremlin strategy? Do you see this as some strategic goal, terrorize the people, create this land bridge, why?

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, that's unconscionable. Again, no rules of engagement would permit that. There are mistakes in war, but the accumulation of the mistakes and literally in front of cameras, and so forth has just been absolutely horrific. Again, there's absolutely no excuse for this, whatsoever, John. It cannot be part of any strategy other than one that is to depopulate cities to surround them, to starve them, to lay siege to them. Again, all of which just is beyond the pale completely.

And certainly, though trying to connect forces that have come out of Crimea, to go east, to encircle Mariupol and to join up with the Russian supported separatists in the Donbass, the area of southeastern Ukraine in which their separatists were active in the past. But Russia is really overstretched at this point in time.

They have three different efforts coming out of Crimea, one again to the east, one to the west, one to the north. They have the efforts up around Kharkiv. They're trying to get to the east side of Kyiv. And they're also in the north side of Kyiv, where you have that famous 40- mile traffic jam. There's just another bit of evidence of how, frankly incompetent Russian leaders have been at bringing their forces to bear.

But you know, I think what we need to think about now, John, is just how long can the Russian soldiers keep doing what their leaders are asking of them, knowing how inadequately they're being supported. You know, in the U.S. forces, in situations like this difficult weather, cold weather, damp, snowy, and so forth. You know, you've got to get a hot meal to every soldier every day, at least one, and then the rest is whatever package rations, MREs in the case of the U.S., and hot coffee a couple of times a day.

I seriously doubt that any of that is taking place. The soldiers are basically living in their vehicles, turning them on and off to try to stay warm, that's running out the fuel, the fuel is inadequate. And again, that's one of the reasons the Russians just can't get on track and fully encircle Kyiv. When it is encircled, it is going to be grim, as the mayor just described in your clip with him.

And then, you're going to see Russian soldiers asked to engage in the most demanding, the most draining challenging of all combat, which is urban combat. Keeping in mind that it takes huge numbers of boots on the ground to clear and then hold areas that will be difficult, and the Russians will just continue to make rubble out of the neighborhoods that they're unable to clear.

KING: But to that point, General Petraeus, I want to come in closer on Kyiv. Obviously, this is where we're focusing today. This atrocity down here as the Ukrainian president calls in Mariupol, but you mentioned a key point as well. If you come up here and just look at Kyiv. Look, we have Russian troops to the west of the city. This has been plotting for two weeks and nowhere near as fast. Vladimir Putin wanted to take Kyiv in a matter of days or two weeks, and you hear. You have the forces here.

You mentioned, U.S. defense officials brief every day. They say they see morale is down. They believe that supply lines have been cut off. They believe the Ukrainians have done an effective job at that convoy you talked about, slowing its march. What are the challenges now from Ukraine's perspective? Watching this still knowing, two weeks and yes, things are not going as Putin wants, but the city of Kyiv virtually encircled. What should they be doing?

GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, what they are doing, John, which is to maintain routes that allow them to continue to be resupplied with this incredible amount of weaponry that's being provided 12 wide body cargo jets, at least every day, just west of Lviv, just outside the border.

Getting that in the continued spy of anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons in particular, but also food, fuel, even water could be necessary at some point in time. So, fighting off as much as they can the complete encirclement of the city because once it is encircled, you'll see Russia tried to lay siege to it and really literally try to starve out the population, starve them into submission.

[12:10:00]

But again, how long can the Russian forces keep doing this, given how vulnerable their logistics routes are? And of course, the Ukrainians know that that's what they're trying to prey on with incredible determination, creativity, innovativeness, and resourcefulness.

KING: And so, to that last point, president's Zelenskyy says it would help, it would help if NATO would put a no-fly zone up, or at least a limited no-fly zone up. We've had no-fly zones in Kosovo. We've had no-fly zones in Iraq. The question here is, is it possible? Is it all tenable General Petraeus to have a NATO no-fly zone, which many worry would instantly, almost instantly lead to direct confrontation with Russia?

GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, you just put your finger. I mean, is it possible physically? Absolutely. Is it advisable? No. I don't care what you call it a humanitarian no-fly zone. It doesn't matter what the name is. Sooner or later, you'll end up with direct confrontation between U.S. and Russian aircraft. Probably the Russians don't come out of that very well, regardless, that could lead to one of these situations in which Las Vegas rules no longer apply to Ukraine.

In other words, what happens there doesn't stay there any longer and it starts to spill over more broadly. And that's one of the big concerns, needless to say, as is escalation to nuclear weapons, a whole variety of other concerns that emanate from the fact that Vladimir Putin is increasingly backed into a corner, and we never want him though, to think that there's nothing left to lose.

KING: Critical point there. General Petraeus, it's grateful for your time and your insights. Sir, we'll continue this conversation. And up next to the point. The general was just making, Putin predicament. Things are not going according to plan, which raises profound worries about what he does next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Today Vladimir Putin's Ukraine invasion is two weeks old. The Kremlin marking it by accusing the United States of waging economic war against Russia. Punishing global sanctions have pushed Putin to sign emergency measures to boost his failing economy. But there's little confidence among American officials that pressuring the Russian president will deter him to the contrary. U.S. intelligence assesses the more isolated Putin is, the more likely he is to unleash more indiscriminate bombing.

Joining our conversations, Ian Bremmer. He's the president of the Eurasia Group, also the author of the forthcoming book, "The Power of Crisis." Ian Bremmer, grateful for your time today, but it is a sad day. We are watching the aftermath. According to the Ukrainians, Russian airstrike on a children's hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol.

This has been one of the things that many people have feared. You have studied Vladimir Putin a long time, that a logical person, two weeks and things aren't going well might reassess instead, the fear is that we will have this, more indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas.

IAN BREMMER, PRESIDENT. EURASIA GROUP: Yes. I mean, unfortunately, pretty much any scenario we look at, shows that Putin is going to end up in a materially worse position, both in terms of his own domestic political environment, certainly in terms of Russia's economy, and perhaps most importantly for Putin. If you look at his European security environment, which is ostensibly the reason he invaded Ukraine to begin with, he's going to be much worse off than he was before he invaded.

And that makes it harder to find any way for him to climb down, at least until he can credibly make the argument to his people. I have accomplished X, Y, and Z. And right now, he's not there. I mean, until Kyiv is taken, until the Zelenskyy is removed from office, it is really hard to imagine a climb down from Putin. And I wish the news were better, but just right now, I don't see it.

KING: So, let's listen to the Under Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland on the point, you make right here. Where? How? Is there an off ramp for Vladimir Putin?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTORIA NULAND, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: The way this conflict will end is when Putin realizes that this adventurer has put his own leadership standing at risk with his own military, with his own people, and he will have to change course, or the Russian people take matters into their own hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Right. Is that not the Putin paradox, if you will, and the things are going horribly for him? He is isolated globally, from an economic standpoint. He has, as you noted, the opposite of what he wanted. More NATO troops, more U.S. troops and embolden Europe standing up against him. And now, the military campaign is not going as well. Again, a logical person would say, maybe it's time to stand down. Vladimir Putin does the opposite.

BREMMER: What's interesting, because Victoria Nuland's point, if you read it from the Russian perspective would be you see, what the Americans and the Europeans are doing, is they're trying to destroy the Russian economy to bring about regime change. That's what they really want here. And the way the Russians read that is, it's economic warfare.

So, we need to retaliate against NATO. We need to engage in cyberattacks. We need to engage in asymmetric attacks. We need to find ways to hurt their economy. It's not going to be enough for us to just sit on Ukraine. So, I'm going to have to say, I mean, I understand that if we want to punish the Russians for the unconscionable decision to invade an independent country of 44 million people. But the Russians do see this as acts of warfare, and they are in a position to retaliate.

KING: I want you to listen here to Vladimir Putin, because every day we try to figure out, is he thinking differently today than he was yesterday. This is an address to the Russian people where he does acknowledge things are not perfect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA: We'd like to address the mothers, wives, sisters, brides and girlfriends of our soldiers and officers who are now in battle, defending Russia during a special military operation. I understand how you worry about your loved ones. You can be proud of them, just as the whole country is proud of them and worries about them together with you. Let me emphasize that military conscripts do not and will not participate in hostilities. There will be no additional call ups of reservists from the reserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[12:20:00]

KING: We know, Ian Bremmer, there are conscripts in Ukraine, and there have been hostilities in Ukraine. So, we know that Putin lies, frankly. But do you read any significant sense of the fact that he does feel compelled to address casualties on national television?

BREMMER: Of course, and the fact is, they're not just casualties, but they're casualties in the service of killing brother and sister slobs in Ukraine. This is not like the war in Grozny in Chechnya. It's not like the war in Afghanistan. I mean, there are a lot of Russians, they're going to feel very uncomfortable and don't know what the war is for, when it's Russian against Ukrainian.

But I have to recognize as well, in the same way that Zelenskyy has become a hero for the West in the past two weeks of fighting. In the same way, the Ukrainians are winning the information war around the world. Putin is winning it in Russia. And a majority of Russians believe falsely that the Ukrainians have committed acts of genocide against Russians in occupied Donbass.

They believe falsely that the Russians are forced into this war because of aggressive actions by the Ukrainians in NATO. And if the Russians take casualties, as they take casualties, as the Russian economy gets crippled, they blame NATO for that, and they're with Putin. And that's a very serious problem for the West to overcome the fact that Putin has so much control of the information space inside of Russia.

KING: Ian Bremmer, grateful for those important insights. All the evidence before us tells us, we will be out this for some time, and that it will continue to be sad. Ian Bremmer, appreciate your insights to that point. When we come back, the very latest on the bombing of a children's hospital. Right there in Mariupol, Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KING: Latest now on what you see right there, horrific news out of Ukraine. That's a maternity and children's hospital in Mariupol, bomb victims being carried out in the rubble. Officials say, the building was filled, full of infants, children and pregnant women. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calls this strike an atrocity. Inside that hospital, there is debris everywhere. Official say, so far, 17 casualties.

CNN's Matthew Chance is reporting from the outskirts of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Where thousands of people are trying to evacuate, using safe corridors that have been set up by the Russian and Ukrainian government.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We can see there are thousands of people now in their own cars, streaming act through these safe corridors that have been set up by the Russians and the Ukrainians, to give these people a chance to escape the ferocious bombardment that they've been suffering.

Some of the cars have got children written on them, as one over here with the word getting written on them. They're all filled with their own children, other people's children, children have neighbors that they've taken with them, just anything they can do to get them out into the relative safety of care. And then onward, towards the west, many of them heading towards Poland, to the west of Ukraine.

You see here as well, there's been some efforts set up as a sort of reception to the people. Because a lot of the people we've spoken to inside these cars, say that they've spent days without any proper food, without any water, without any light. It's been really, really difficult for them. And so, again, even though this isn't perfect, it is at least a chance for these people to want to save their own lives. Matthew Chance, CNN, on the outskirts of Kyiv.

KING: Far there, you see here, this is CNN's Clarissa Ward, talking to elderly refugees also in Kyiv, who've been waiting on buses for hours to get out. They are cold and they are scared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENTRA, REFUGEES IN KYIV: I want to lie down, she says. Please help me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: It's also become a place where people hoping to find their relatives who've been stuck in their homes for days, too afraid to leave. Clarissa, on a mother and a son who were reunited there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only words, you can tell to the phone, like mom, I'm alive, mom, I'm alive. And that's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm the happiest mother in the world right now. She says my son is with me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: There's a big added challenge right now to a vice presidential trip planned as a show of solidarity with European allies. Vice President Kamala Harris, lands in Poland later this afternoon. Issue number one, a disagreement between Warsaw and Washington over a Polish offer to give fighter jets to Ukraine. Poland surprised the White House yesterday by proposing, you fly the planes to an American airbase in Germany, and Ukraine could take custody there. The Pentagon says that is not acceptable. Urgent negotiations now underway to see if there is a viable delivery plan.

With me to share the reporting and their insights, CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson, Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow bureau chief, and Dan Lamothe of The Washington Post. I want to start with what we're seeing because sadly it was predicted. Where you have this hospital in Mariupol, a children's hospital, a maternity ward included bomb today.

Just as the deputy mayor said, the city maybe had another day or two or three to hold out against the Russians. Jill Dougherty, the world says this cannot be part of any war plan, but you've covered Russian military campaigns in the past. This is what many predicted, Putin things would not go well. Putin will get back in the corner and we will sadly see this.