-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello, i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. it may be the most significant discovery so far in the search for malaysia airlines flight 370. a possible debris field spotted in the southern indian ocean. here's what we know right now. malaysia's transport minister says new satellite images show 122 objects floating in the ocean. the objects range in size from about three feet to about 75

feet. searches of the area resumed today after a delay caused by bad weather. but the last planes have now returned to base without finding anything definitive. meanwhile, specialized equipment for the united states arrived in australia today. the equipment includes a blue fin underwater vehicle that would be used if and where officials discover where the plane went down. a possible debris field is raising hopes of locating flight 370, but officials warn, finding anything from the plane could still take some time. let's bring in our cnn correspondent, will ripley, joining us from perth, australia, where the search effort is based. will, what can you tell us about these 122 pieces of possible debris? >> reporter: wolf, we know a french satellite spotted these objects three days ago at a time when the conditions in the southern indian ocean were extremely treacherous. huge waves, gale force winds,

scattered around 154 square miles, 1,600 miles off shore from perth, australia, and where they were then and where they are now are two very different places, which makes the search effort much more complicated. >> you know, will, these pictures, these satellite images were taken on sunday. now it's wednesday. did the pilots who flew out on a dozen missions earlier today, including a p-8 poseidon flew by u.s. navy personnel, were they given the exact pictures where these 122 objects were spotted when they flew out in the morning and have now returned to base? >> reporter: as far as we know, they were informed about these satellite images. malaysia learned about them yesterday. passed that information along to australia. but the issue here is that the satellite doesn't exactly give a precise location. and, again, because these photographs were taken sunday, now here we are mid-week, the objects have likely moved,

possibly moving at 1-mile-an-hour. the searchers today came up empty-handed. the good news, though, weather conditions continue improving. they're hoping tomorrow they can find these things. >> so far, all planes returned empty-handed today, no spotting of anything. we'll see what happens in the next day. will ripcally on scene for us. thank you. nothing from chuck hage and he will what happened to flight 370. let's go to correspondent wa barbara starr. what did he have to say, barbara? >> he had a short meeting with reporters here at the pentagon, just a while ago, wolf. and we asked him, is it at all possible that it could have been a terrorist attack? have you been able to rule that out? i want you to listen to his very careful words. >> i don't think at this point we can rule anything in or out. i think we have to continue to search, as we are, and you know the united states continues to

stay committed. we have aircraft in the area working out of malaysia and perth. as you know, we have moved two of our most sophisticated locators to the perth area. so until we have more information, we don't know. >> now, if it was a terrorist attack or some act of political violence, the problem, investigators say, in and a number of u.s. officials we have talked to, there has been no claim of responsibility. and that's what you would expect to see in terrorism. they always, almost always, claim responsibility for it. they want the publicity. there is a related additional theory that is beginning to emerge with some u.s. officials that this was some sort of deliberate act from someone in the cockpit. you and i have talked about that at length. in part, because they come to that idea, because they have -- they can't come up with a plausible explanation otherwise,

because until they can find more data, more intelligence, they really don't know. but the cockpit theory, maybe somebody in the cockpit still very much something u.s. officials are contemplating. wolf? >> was he asked, the secretary of defense, about that theory, that let's say the pilot may have done something, may have on his own decided to do for whatever crazy reason, this kind of maneuver and move that plane off course towards beijing, towards the indian ocean? >> no. to be very clear, the secretary was not asked that directly. but he's really underscoring what the official line in washington is. nothing ruled in, nothing ruled out. it's really behind the scenes that you're beginning to hear some of these other ideas being floated, and officials emphasize, they are just ideas. things that they're looking at, things they're chewing over. they need to hear what information the malaysians may have, what the malaysians are really investigating. >> barbara starr at the

pentagon, thanks very much. let's get some more now on the search for flight 370. and those 122 objects found in the southern indian ocean. at least on that satellite image. joining us now, mark weise, aviation analyst, former 777 pilot. steve wallace, aviation analyst, former director of the faa's office of accident investigation. and tom fuentes, cnn law enforcement analyst. so tom, let me get right to you, this notion that an individual increasingly, at least a lot of people are suspecting, and there's no hard evidence, an individual may have been responsible as opposed to catastrophic failure of the plane or of the engine, batteries, whatever. what are you hearing on that? >> wolf, what i hear, what we have all heard from the beginning, when they don't come up with one definitive solution, it has to be something else. so this reporting goes in circles about mechanicel california failure, deliberate action, mechanical failure, pilot suicide. mechanical failure, pilot or,

you know, being forced to turn the plane by a hijacker or intruder. but i was informed by a senior malaysian government official this morning that the more they have looked at the pilots, the less they believe, in malaysia, that they're involved in this. that everything comes back negative on them. that the search of their residences found no notes or noggin crim naturing. no notes of potential suicide or saying goodbye to the world. >> because these are malaysian sources you're talking to. >> malaysian government. >> you remember, the egyptair pilot who committed suicide took that plane into -- the egyptian government to this day denies it was pilot suicide. they for whatever patriotic nationalistic reasons, they refuse to accept that. and there's some suspicion that malaysians would refuse to accept the notion that how a distinguished pilot in malaysia could go ahead and do such a dastardly -- >> in a way, they're in trouble either way as a government. because if not, how did an intruder pass knew through

security, get into the cockpit that their airlines and security measures were deficient to allow that. so either one of these scenarios is bad in terms of the malaysian government appearance. they also say that they expect the fbi's final report on the computer searches to be given to the malaysians by friday this week. >> and we would have a better sense at that point, if the fbi does have something on the hard drive from the flight simulator, taken from the pilot's home, or the hard drive taken from the co pilot's home, or whatever, we would have a better sense if there is anything at all incriminati incriminating. >> i think so. but i'm not -- we remain optimistic that there will be some clue there. but i actually think that's fairly unlikely. i think what barbara starr said was exactly right. it's nothing as ruled in and out. and of course every transport accident these days is a one-off event. and a one-off event we have never seen is a suicide type

event, like you referenced egyptair, two years before that, silk air. >> that was a pilot suicide too. >> agreed by the western experts. not accepted by the country. >> by indonesian. and the egyptians never accepted it in their case. and that's why i -- people have said to me, the malaysians might be reluctant to accept that notion. if, in fact, we -- we don't know if it is. we don't want to convict the pilot without any real hard evidence. but here's a hypothetical question, and you're a 777 pilot, mark. if a pilot were to do such a horrible thing, this 53-year-old pilot, could he do the whole thing by himself, from within that cockpit? >> well, on the assumption that this is a hypothetical response, yes. he could. you can -- you can have one of the pilots get out of the cockpit. typically could do that to go to the lavatory. certainly you could do that. you can also keep somebody out of the cockpit. there are ways of doing that. and in that case, if you had a

suicide on -- in your own mind, yeah, you could put that plane into a dive. you could take it off course. everything that we have seen so far or led to believe to be true could have been done by one person in the cockpit. again, a pilot or somebody with aviation knowledge. >> what -- quickly to you on this 122 pieces of debris that the satellite image -- it could be junk or it could be parts of the plane. the planes apparently flew over that area. they didn't see anything today. >> well, i agree with that exactly, wolf. typically, what you do see are scattered, numerous pieces of scattered floating objects, not usually 75 feet long. again, i think what we have never seen is a suicide situation where someone decides first to fly the plane to the ends of the earth. maybe that's something we're going to see for the first time. >> and we don't know if the pilot or co pilot or somebody else on that plane or if it was a mechanical failure.

but you have to assume the fbi is taking a very, very close look at both of these pilots. >> very close. that's correct. >> they would be derelict if they were. >> and that's been going on from day one. the first night that plane disappeared and the fbi was invited to go to the command post at the airport in kuala lumpur, that's been on the table from day one to look at the pilots, look at the rest of the crew, look at the passengers, look at the cargo, look at all of the ground maintenance people. and that's something that has been intensively pursued from it the beginning and is still ongoing. everybody on the ground that could have touched that airplane, that's hundreds more people in addition to just the pilot or co pilot or people on the aircraft. >> all right, guys. don't go too far away. our viewers have been sending us lots of excellent questions. and you guys are going to answer those questions later. we're also waiting for president obama to speak in brussels, belgium. he is set to begin momentarily. when he does, we'll listen in. stand by for that. and the hunt for flight 370 may ultimately depend on mapping

the ocean floor in one of the most hostile environments on earth. we're going to show you how that unfolds. and later, one family's search for answers includes records on the plane and its parts. we're taking a closer look at the potential first lawsuit. [ female announcer ] hands were made for playing. legs, for crossing. feet...splashing. better things than the joint pain and swelling of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. if you're trying to manage your ra, now may be the time to ask about xeljanz. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts

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probe that dives into the motion, wolf, and gives a map of the ocean floor. this is what it's called, an auv, or autonomous under water vehicle. and it uses s.o.n.a.r. you can see it down here to create that picture. it also has gps, because it's important for the crew to know exactly where this piece of equipment is at all times. the gps is on this it antenna. i'll ask brian to start launching this for us. we're going to give you a demonstration as to what this would look like in the real world. now this probe is owned by cnc technologies. it is in golden meadow, louisiana, it is highly customized and it's on the "miss ginger" today. one thing to point out, it has in the past helped identify and recover plane wreckage in the deep sea. now, what we're going to demonstrate here is on a dock. so what you see is this probe is

tether tethered. in the indian ocean, of course, this would not be tethered. but because we're on a dock, you're going to see it is tethered, being brought down. and it's buoyant. it's going to float. you said normal operations, you would see it dive into the ocean several miles and then a crew in a control room would program a mission for this particular probe. what's really important to mention, wolf, is that it immediately starts generating a picture of the ocean floor, and in the case of mh-370, time is of the essence. wolf? >> rosa, thanks very much. impressive demonstration. the president of the united states, starting to deliver a speech in brussels, belgium now. on u.s.-european relations. let's listen in. >> thank you, laura, for that remarkable introduction on -- before she came out, she told me not to be nervous.

and i can only imagine, i think her father is in the audience. and i can only imagine how proud he is of her. we're grateful for her work, but she is also reminding us that our future will be defined by young people like her. your majesties, mr. prime minister, and the people of belgium, on behalf of the american people, we are grateful for your friendship. we stand together as inacceptable allies. and i thank you for your wonderful hospitality. i have to admit, it is easy to love a country famous for chocolate and beer. leaders and dignitaries of the european union, representatives of our nato alliance,

distinguished guests, we meet here at a moment of testing for europe and the united states. and for the international order that we have worked for generations to build. throughout human history, societieses have grappled with fundamental questions of how to organize themselves. the proper relationship between the individual and the state. the best means to resolve inevitable conflicts between states. and it was here in europe, through centuries of struggle, through war and enlightenment, repression and revolution, that a particular set of ideals began to emerge. the belief that through

conscience and free will, each of us has the right to live as we choose. the belief that power is derived from the consent of the governed and that laws and institutions should be set up to protect that understanding. and those ideas inspired a band of colonialists across an ocean. and they rode them into the founding documents that still guide america today. including the simple truth that all men and women are created equal. but those ideals have also been tested. here in europe and around the world. those ideals have often been threatened by an older, more traditional view of power. this alternative vision argues

that ordinary men and women are too small-miami-danded to goverr own affairs. that order and progress can only come when individuals surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign. often, this alternative vision roots itself in the notion that by virtue of race or faith or ethnicity, some are inherently superior to others. and that individual identity must be defined by us versus them. or that national greatness must flow not by what people stand for, but what they are against. in so many ways, the history of europe in the 20th century represented the ongoing clash of these two sets of ideas. both within nations and among nations. the advance of industry and

technology outpaced our ability to resolve our differences peacefully. and even among the most civilized of societies on the surface, we saw a dissent into barbari barbarism. this morning at planders field, i was reminded how war between generations sent those to their death in the gas of the first world war. and two decades later, extreme nationalism plunged this continent into war once again, with populations enslaved and great cities reduced to rubble, and tens of millions slaughtered. including those lost in the holocaust. it is in response to this tragic history that in the aftermath of world war ii, america joined with europe to reject the darker

forces of the past. and built a new architecture of peace. workers and engineers gave life to the marshall plan, sentinels stood vigilant in a nato alliance that would become the strongest the world has ever known. and across the atlantic, we embraced a shared vision of europe. a vision based on representative democracy, individual rights, and the belief that nations can meet the interests of their citizens through trade and open markets. a social safety net, respect for those of different faiths and backgroun backgrounds. for decades, this vision stood in sharp contrast to life on the other side of an iron curtain. for decades, a contest was

waged, and ultimately, that contest was won. not by tanks or missiles. but because our ideals stirred the hearts of hungarians who sparked a revolution. polls in their shipyards. czechs who waged a revolution without firing a shot. and east berliners who marched past the guards and finally tore down that wall. today, what would have seemed impossible in the trenches of flanders, the rubble of berlin, a dissidents prison cell, that reality is taken for granted. a germany unified, the nations of central and eastern europe welcomed into the family of

democracies. here in this country, once the battleground of europe, we meet in the hub of a union that brings together age-old adversaries in it peace and cooperation. the people of europe, hundreds of millions of citizens, east, west, north, south, are more secure and more prosperous because we stood together for the ideals we share. and this story of human progress was by no means limited to europe. indeed, the ideals that came to define our alliance also inspired movements across the globe. among those very people, ironically, who had too often been denied their full rights by western powers. after the second world war, people from africa to india threw off the yolk of

colonialism. in the united states, u.s. citizens took freedom rides and endured beatings to secure their civil rights. as the iron curtain fell here in europe, the iron fist of apart thooid hide was unclenched, and nelson mandela emerged upright, proud, from prison to lead a multiracial democracy. latin american nations built new democracies and asian nations showed the development and democracy could go hand-in-hand. the young people in the audience today, young people like laura, were born in a place and time where there is less conflict, more prosperity and more freedom than any time in human history. but that's not because man's

darkest impulses have vanished. even here, in europe, we have seen ethnic cleansing in the balkins that shocked the conscience. the difficulties of integration and globalization recently amplified by the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes strained the european project and stirred the rise of a politics that too often targets immigrants or gays or those who seem somehow different. while technology has opened up vast opportunities for trade and innovation and cultural understanding, it's also allowed terrorists to kill on a horrifying scale. around the world, sectarian warfare and ethnic conflicts continue to claim thousands of lives. and once again, we confronted with the belief among some, bigger nations can bully smaller

ones to get their way. that recycled maxim that might somehow makes right. so i come here today to insist that we must never take for granted the progress that has been won here in europe and advanced around the world. because the contest of ideas continues. for your generation. and that's what's at stake. in ukraine today. russia's leadership is challenging truths that only a few weeks ago seemed self-evident. that in the 21st century, the borders of europe cannot be redrawn with force. that international law matters. that people and nations can make their own decisions about their future.

to be honest, if we define our interests narrowly, if we applied a cold-hearted calculus, we might decide to look the oh other way. our economy is not deeply integrated with ukraine's. our people and our homeland face no direct threat from the invasion of crimea. our own borders are not threatened by russia's annexation. but that kind of casual indifference would ignore the lessons that are written in the cemeteries of this continent. it would allow the old way of doing things to regain a foothold in this young century. and that message would be heard, not just in europe, but in asia, in the americas, in africa and the middle east.

and the consequences that would arise from complacency are not abstractions. the impact that they have on the lives of real people, men and women just like us, have to enter into our imaginations. just look at the young people of ukraine who are determined to take back their future taken from government, rotted by corruption, the portraits of the fallen shot by snipers. the visitors who pay their respects at the maydon. the university student wrapped in the ukrainian flag, expressing her hope that every country should live by the law. a postgraduate student speaking of her fellow protesters saying, "i want these people who are here to have dignity."

imagine that you are the young woman who said, "there are some things that fear, police sticks and tear gas cannot destroy." we have never met these people. but we know them. their voices echo calls for human dignity that rang out in european streets and squares for generations. their voices echo those around the world who at this very moment fight for their dignity. these ukrainians rejected a government that was stealing from the people instead of serving them. and are reaching for the same ideals that allow us to be here today. none of us can know for certain what the coming days will bring in ukraine.

but i am confident that eventually those voices, those voices for human dignity and opportunity and individual rights and rule of law, those voices ultimately will triumph. i believe that over the long haul, as nations that are free, as free people, the future is ours. i believe this, not because i'm naive, and i believe this not because of the strength of our arms or the size of our economies. i believe this because these ideals that we affirm are true. these ideals are universal. yes, we believe in democracy. with election that is are free

and fair. and independent judiciarieses a ask opposition parties. civil society and uncensored information so that individuals can make their own choices. yes, we believe in open economies based on free markets and innovation and individual initiative and entrepreneurship and trade and investment that creates a broader prosperity. and yes, we believe in human dignity that every person is createdel equal, no matter who you are or what you look like or who you love or where you come from. that is what we believe. that's what makes us strong. and our enduring strength is also reflected in our respect for an international system that protects the rights of both nations and people. a united nations and a universal

declaration of human rights. international law and the means to enforce those laws. but we also know those rules are not self-executing. they depend on people and nations of goodwill continually affirming them. and that's why russia's violation of international law, its assault on ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be met with condemnation. not because we're trying to keep russia down, but because the principles that have meant so much to europe and the world must be lifted up. over the last several days, the united states, europe, and our partners around the world have been united in defense of these ideals. and united in support of the

ukrainian people. together, we have condemned russia's invasion of ukraine and rejected the legitimacy of the crimean referendum. together, we have isolated russia politically, suspecting it from the g-8 nations, and downgrading our bilateral ties. together, we are imposing costs through sanctions that have left a mark on russia and those accountable for its actions. and if the russian leadership stays on its current course, together we will ensure that this isolation deepens. sanctions will expand, and the toll on russia's economy, as well as its standing in the world will only increase. meanwhile, the united states and our allies will continue to support the government of ukraine, as they chart a democratic course.

together, we are going to provide a significant package of assistance that can help stabilize the ukrainian economy. and meet the basic needs of the people. make no mistake, neither the united states nor europe has any interest in controlling ukraine. we have sent no troops there. what we want is for the ukrainian people to make their own decisions. just like other free people around the world. understand as well, this is not another cold war that we're entering into. after all, unlike the soviet union, russia leads no block of nations, no global ideology. the united states and nato do not seek any conflict with russia. in fact, for more than 60 years, we have come together in nato, not to claim other lands, but to

keep nations free. what we will do, always, is uphold our solemn obligation, our article 5 duty, to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our allies. and in that promise, we will never waiver. nato nations never stand alone. today, nato planes patrol the skies over the baltics. and we reinforced our presence in poland. and we're prepared to do more. going forward, every nato member state must step up and carry its share of the burden by showing the political will to invest in defense and developing the capabilities to serve as a source of international peace and security. of course, ukraine is not a

member of nato. in part because of its close and complex history with russia. nor will russia be dislodged from crimea or deterred from further he escalation by milita force. but with time, so long as we remain united, the russian people will recognize that they cannot achieve a security, prosperity and the status they seek through brute force. and that's why throughout this crisis we will combine our substantial pressure on russia with an open door for diplomacy. i believe that for both ukraine and russia, a stable peace will come through deescalation, direct dialogue between russia and the government of ukraine and the international community, monitors who can ensure that the rights of all ukrainians are

protected. a process of constitutional reform within ukraine. and free and fair elections this spring. so far, russia has resisted diplomatic overtures, annexing crimea and amassing large forces along ukraine's border. russia's justified these actions as an effort to prevent problems on its own borders. and to protect ethnic russians inside ukraine. of course, there is no evidence, never has been, of systemic violence against ethnic russians inside of ukraine. moreover, many countries around the world face similar questions about their borders and ethnic minorities abroad, about sovereignty and self-determination. these are tensions that have led in other places to debate and

democratic referendums. conflicts and uneasy coexistence. these are difficult issues, and it is precisely because these questions are hard that they must be addressed through constitutional means. and international laws. so that majorities cannot simply suppress minorities, and big countries cannot simply bully the small. in defending its actions, russian leaders have further claimed kosovo as a precedent. an example, they say of the west interfering in the affairs of a smaller country, just as they're doing now. but nato only intervened after the people of kosovo were systematically brutalized and killed for years. and kosovo only left certain i can't after a referendum was

organized n organized, not outside the boundaries, but in careful cooperation with the united nations and with kosovo's neighbors. none of that even came close to happening in crimea. moreover, russia has pointed to america's decision to go into iraq as an example of western hypocrisy. it is true that the iraq war was a subject of vigorous debate. not just around the world, but in the united states, as well. i participated in that debate. and i opposed our military intervention there. but even in iraq, america sought to work within the international system. we did not claim or annex iraq's territory. we did not grab its resources for our own gain. instead, we ended our war and left iraq to its people, in a

fully sovereign iraqi state that can make decisions about its own future. of course, neither the united states nor europe are perfect in adherence to our ideas. nor do we claim to be the soul arbiter of what is right or wrong in the world. we are human, after all. and we face difficult decisions about how to exercise our power. but part of what makes us different is that we welcome criticism. just as we welcome the responsibilities that come with global leadership. we look to the east and the south and see nations poised to play a growing role on the world stage, and we consider that a good thing. it reflects the same diversity

that makes us stronger as a nation. and the forces of integration and cooperation that europe has advanced for decades. and in a world of challenges that are increasingly global, all of us have an interest in nations stepping forward to play their part. to bear their share of the burden. and to uphold international norms. so our approach stands in stark contrast to the arguments coming out of russia these days. it is absurd to suggest as a steady drumbeat of russian voices do that america is somehow conspiring with fascists inside of ukraine, or failing to respect the russian people. my grandfather served in patton's army, just as many of your fathers and grandfather's fought against fascisfascism.

we remember well the sacrifices made in world war ii. and we have honored those sacrifices. since the end of the cold war, we have worked with russia under successive administrations to build ties of culture and commerce and international community. not as a favor to russia, but because it was in our national interests. and together we have secured nuclear materials from terrorists. we welcomed russia into the g-8 and the world trade organization. from the reduction of nuclear arms to the elimination of syria's chemical weapons, we believe the world has benefited when russia chooses to cooperate on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect. so america and the world and europe has an interest in a strong and responsible russia, not a weak one.

we want the russian people to live in security, prosperity and dignity, like everyone else. proud of their own history. but that does not mean that russia can rough roughshod over its neighbors. just because russia has a deep history with ukraine does not mean it should be able to dictate ukraine's future. no amount of propaganda can make right something that the world knows is wrong. in the end, every society must chart its own course. america's path or europe's path is not the only ways to reach freedom and justice. but on the fundamental principle that is at stake here, the ability of nations and peoples

to make their own choices, there can be no going back. it's not america that filled the madan with protesters. it was ukrainians. no foreign forces compelled the citizens of tunis and tripoli to rise up. they it so on their own. they did so on their own. from the burmese parliamentarian pursuing reform to the young leaders fighting corruption and intolerance in africa, we see something irreducible that all of us share as human beings. a truth that will persevere in the face of violence and repression and will ultimately overcome. for the young people here today,

i know it may see easy to see these events as removed from our lives. remote from our daily routines, constant from concerns closer to home. i recognize that both in the united states and in much of europe, there's more than enough to worry about in the affairs of our own countries. there will always be voices who say that what happens in the wider world is not our concern. nor our responsibility. but we must never forget that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. our democracy, our individual opportunity, only exists because those who came before us had the wisdom and the courage to recognize that ideals will only endure if we see our

self-interest in the success of other peoples and other nations. now is not the time for bluster. the situation in ukraine, like crises in many parts of the world, does not have easy answers, nor a military solution. but at this moment, we must meet the challenge to our ideals. to our very international order with strength and conviction. and it is you, the young people of europe, young people like laura, who will help decide which way the currents of our history will flow. do not think for a moment that your own freedom, your own

prosperity, that your own moral imagination is bound by the limits of your community, your ethnicity, or even your country. you're bigger than that. you can help us to choose a better history. that's what europe tells us. that's what the american experience is all about. i say this as the president of a country that looked to europe for the values that are written into our founding documents and which spilled blood to ensure that those values could endure on these shores. i also say this as the son of a kenyan, whose grandfather was a cook for the british. and as a person who once lived in indonesian as it emerged from colonialism.

the ideals that unite us matter equally to the young people of boston or brussels or jakarta or nairobi or crackaw or kiev. in the end, the success of our ideals comes down to us. including the example of our own lives, of our own societies. we know that there will always be intolerance, but instead of fearing the immigrant, we can welcome him. that an age of globalization and dizzying change opens the door of opportunity to the marginalized and not just a privileged few. instead of targeting our gay and

lesbian brothers and sisters, we can use our laws to protect their rights. instead of defining ourselves in opposition to others, we can affirm the aspirations that we hold in common. that's what will make america strong, that's what will make europe strong. that's what makes us who we are. and just as we meet our responsibilities as individuals, we must be prepared to meet them as nations. because we live in a world in which our ideals are going to be challenged again and again by forces that would drag us back in the conflict or corruption. we can't count on others to rise to meet those tests. the policies of your government, the principles of your european union, will make a critical

difference in whether or not the international order that so many generations before you have strived to create continues to move forward or whether it retreats. that's the question we all must answer. what kind of europe, what kind of america, what kind of world will we leave behind? and i believe if we hold firm to our principles and are willing to back our beliefs with courage and resolve, then hope will ultimately overcome fear. and freedom will continue to triumph over tyranny because that is what forever stirs in the human heart.

thank you very much. [ applause ] >> the president delivering a speech before a group in brussels, belgium on u.s., european relations but spending the bulk of the speech condemning russia for what it has done in crimea and ukraine. it says it is an assault on integrity and must be met with condemnation. the president insisting at the same time that the u.s. and europeans aren't on the eve of another cold war. he says this is not another cold war, unlike the soviet union, russia leads no block of nations, no global ideology. the president warning if russia pursues in its actions in ukraine, the u.s. and europeans will take further actions, presumably referring to tightening sanctions. a strong speech from the president in europe. he is flying to rome to meet

with the pope at the vatican tomorrow morning at the vatican. much more coverage coming up on the president's trip to europe. also, searching for flight 370 in an ocean with waves that can reach 30 feet and where weather can take a serious turn for the worse in an instant. how brutal conditions are effecting the search area. that's coming up next. let's say you pay your guy around 2 percent to manage your money. that's not much, you think except it's 2 percent every year. go to e*trade and find out how much our advice and guidance costs. spoiler alert.

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field or anything from flight 370 is complicated by the remote location, shifting ocean currents and stormy seas. this video from last month gives you some idea how rough conditions can be in that part of the indian ocean. you can see a boat struggling against the waves. these pictures are not connected by the way to the search, but you can imagine the impact a storm like this could have. ryan abernathy, assistant professor from department of earth and environmental sciences

at columbia university in new york, ryan, you studied the region. give us a quick sense of what the searchers are up against right now. >> well, we are heading into the southern hemisphere winter. they can expect huge swells, big storms, and moreover, they can expect really strong anti-arctic polar current, that major current system in the region to spread the debris around really fast. >> so if the satellite image spotted 122 pieces of something on sunday, and now it is wednesday, flights went out earlier today, didn't see anything, how difficult is it to find the location, given the currents, given the mobility of what's going on over there? >> just the back of the envelope calculation says the debris can move 20 or 30 miles around per day. so just because they saw it in one location yesterday doesn't mean it is going to be there today. and you know, certainly it is

very turbulent, so it is a tough problem they're facing. >> and there's a lot of junk out there to begin with, so these 122 images, that could be debris, wreckage from the plane or could be something else, right? >> absolutely. so far the evidence seems to be consistent that this could very well be the plane debris. >> why do you say that? >> just it is consistent with the radar information they have and your experts that i've seen on cnn say that this wreckage is consistent with a plane crash. >> but now it will require ships to find the wreckage, get some of it on board, and inspect it to see if, in fact, that's wreckage. what you're saying, with the currents, the weather will make it very difficult. >> the hardest problem is going to be to kind of try and go backwards in time to figure out where the crash occurred. the debris has been drifting for 19 days. they have to find the black box,

probably where the plane actually crashed, could be hundreds of miles away. >> it will be a difficult process. ryan abernathy, we will continue the conversation with you. thanks very much. that's it for me. i am back at 5:00 p.m. eastern. a two hour edition of "the situation room." newsroom with brooke baldwin starts right now. wolf, thank you. hi there, brooke baldwin. news just in to cnn. defense secretary chuck hagel says he is not ruling out anything, including terrorism in the disappearance of this plane, this flight 370. but as for the hunt for the plane itself, could this finally be the breakthrough for the search for flight 370. look at this with me. what you're looking at is called the most credible lead so far. new satellite imagery showing 122, very precise here, 122 objectslo