with a hotel and ticket package from $89 per person, per night. restrictions apply. this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, everyone. i'm don lemon in new york. >> and i'm pamela brown in washington. >> and this is cnn's live breaking news on the night that joe biden delivers his first state of the union address, the president slamming vladimir putin tonight. >> putin's latest attack on ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked. he rejected repeated, repeated efforts at diplomacy. he thought the west and nato wouldn't respond. he thought he could divide us at home in this chamber, in this nation.

he thought he could divide us in europe as well. but putin was wrong. we are ready. we are united, and that's what we did. we stayed united. >> russia shelling civilians in multiple towns and cities, and the russian military appears to have taken central kherson. bombing the main radio tower in kyiv itself. at least five people are dead. also hit, the nearby babin yar holocaust memorial. >> and in kharkiv, a massive air strike, slamming the government building in the freedom square. at least ten people killed. and another strike hitting an apartment complex near a hospital. >> and you should know cnn teams are live on the ground throughout the region tonight. and here at home with reaction

to the president's speech as well. cnn's jim sciutto is live for us in lviv. russia expert jill dougherty is in moscow. phil mattingly is in washington and/or ren lieberman is at the pentagon for us. liszt let's begin with tim sciutto in lviv. russia has shifted to an aggressive bombing campaign. civilians are dying. kyiv is bracing for a more major assault. what is the latest? >> i'm told by u.s. officials the latest u.s. intelligence assessment is as russia's invasion plan has hit obstacles, including strong resistance from the ukrainian military, that it will use heavier firepower, more indiscriminate firepower as well. and that includes targeting civilian areas, sometimes deliberately. that's the view of the u.s. military at this point. we've seen evidence of that. the video that pamela was just

referencing there, that was an administrative building in kharkiv. not a military target, hit with a devastating blast. and it's the expectation of the u.s. military that we're going to see more, not less of that. particularly, because what we've seen so far, don, is an attempt to encircle the cities such as kyiv. but not yet move in to the biggest population centers. and as russian forces do, and that is the plan, you're talking about putting all that firepower in close proximity to millions of residents. millions of urban residents and the possibility of urban warfare. sadly, that's going to mean more civilian casualties. it's going to be really frankly an ugly reality in the days and weeks going ahead. >> and jim, i know you've been paying very close attention to the president's first state of the union. the president tonight praising ukraine's courage in this fight, but warned that the next few days and weeks and months are going to be bad, as you were saying here. saying that russia will make

gains on the battlefield, what do you think of that? they're going to make gains on the battlefield, but it's going to be ugly. and that is a reality. the president knows and pretty much all of our intelligence and the folks on the ground know as well. ition they do. >> they do. this has already moved more slowly than russia's expectations and the u.s. and nato assessment of their plans and capabilities. and the fact that they frankly greatly outnumber the ukrainian military. it's moved more slowly. we're almost a week in. the expectation was it would have been over by now, right? that was certainly putin's hope. that hasn't happened. and the ukrainian military is stepping up and it's inflicting significant losses on russian forces. however, if you look at the map, russian forces are making progress, particularly in the south. while while more slowly in the north and east, they are as we were theying, attempting and amassing forces to encircle cities. so i think we have to have a realistic perspective on what's

possible here. it remains a david versus goliath conflict. the odds against ukraine. that said, you certainly don't want to count them out. we've been surprised in the last several days. we should note western support is still coming to them. they're still getting the supply lines are open. they're still getting weapons that have proven devastating at times. these shoulder-fired javelin anti-tank missiles and fouled-fired stinger anti-aircraft missiles have inflicted losses. whether that changes the ultimate outcome, we don't know yet. >> jill, to you in moscow now. putin has worked really hard to divide the united states. but on the issue of ukraine and going after russia, the president got bipartisan applause tonight at the state of the union. do you think putin expected the united states and the world to rally against him the way that we have all been seeing? >> well, certainly not the

world, and maybe not the united states, because after all, i think, you know, as he was preparing to have this war, it would appear that he didn't think that the united states and europe get it together. and i think a very interesting thing about biden's speech tonight was of course his rhetoric. but if you look at it, it was kind of like a strategy from the white house to make this very much putin's war and putin's economy. this is not russia against nato or some big issues like that. all of those phrases, putin alone is to blame. and i think that is -- that's deliberate. because, you know, you have here in russia some criticism. we don't want to overplay it. but we have had more than 6,000 people arrested as they go on the streets to protest. you've had some public letters

to the president from some very prestigious -- there is a university that's allayed with the foreign ministry. a thousand people from that signed an open letter to the president saying please stop this war. so there is some criticism building. and it would appear that what the white house is trying to do is, you know, leverage that. and, again, economically, with all the sanctions and how it's hitting russia and hitting average russian people and then militarily, as jim was just pointing out, it's not working out the way president putin wanted either. >> and pamela, clearly, the split screen tonight between three places, really, russia, ukraine and washington, d.c. where you are. >> that's right there. is a lot going on here in washington. let's go to our cnn senior white house correspondent phil mattingly. he is here with me as well as cnn's oren liebermann at the pentagon for us tonight. so phil, i'm going start with

you. president biden spent the first 12 minutes of his address on russia's invasion of ukraine, and he made the point the moment we're in is bigger than just ukraine. >> i think that's a critical point. look, you focus on kind of the micro here. obviously a very direct message to president vladimir putin. a very direct message to the ukrainian people and the courageous effort they put in up to this point. there is a broader message the president made clear to his aides he really wanted to make over the dhoufrcourse of this s. take a listen. >> putin's war in ukraine will have left russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger. [ applause ] while it shouldn't -- while it shouldn't have taken something so terrible for people around the world to see what's at stake, now everyone sees it clearly.

we see the unity among leaders of nations. a more unified europe, a more unified west. we see unity among the people who are gathering in cities and large crowds around the world, even in russia to demonstrate their support for the people of ukraine. and the battle between democracy and autocracies. democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security. >> pamela, i think, look, we've heard the democracy versus autocracy frame that the president laid out tonight many times over the course of the last 13 or 14 months. it's kind of a core message of both his campaign and his presidency. but it was the line a couple of lines before that where he said it shouldn't have taken a tragedy like this to kind of rattle people. but now they're seeing it very clearly that i think the president really wanted to get across. there is an understanding inside the white house, and i think with the president that they need to explain why the pillars of kind of western democracy, of norms and laws that have guided almost the entire world for the

better part of the last eight decades have been asleep to some degree. and that is a moment that is jostling the west, europe in particular, out of perhaps that slumber and recognizing kind of the essential element that those bring to the table and underscoring that the unity that you've seen from nato, from the eu, obviously the u.s. alliance that they put together with the sanctions that they applied is so critical right now given what we're seeing over the course of the last four, five, six, seven years, and that that even from a bigger picture perspective is incredibly important going forward, and something that i think the president has long thought was lacking based on in particular his predecessor, but also kind of the way the trajectory of the world has been going over the course of the last several years. >> just emphasizing that point. this is why we should care about upholding democratic values. and also, he talked about the pandemic and how we're two years into this. he is clearly knows people are

exhausted. he talked about a reset. it was notable to me. he didn't make the same mistake he made july 4th of last year where he declared independence from the virus. he tried to walk that fine line. >> lessons learned. >> lessons learned. i think the white house is very wary of pivoting fully away from covid. the president rejecting the idea of living with covid. but people are tired. people are exhausted. however, laying out very clearly they believe they have the capabilities in terms of treatment options, in terms of dealing with the virus to move into a different phase, a phase that will actually be rolled out in detail tomorrow morning, administration officials say which will lay out kind of the steps that they have taken, the treatments that they have, including the new idea they're going to start rolling out tomorrow called test to treat where if you go to a pilot pharmacy, you test positive, you can immediately get antiviral treatments. so you're seeing the full-scale of what the government has put into this is now available. aed me sin cabinet, if you will, to actually deal with this.

while they're not saying it's over, we're free from it, they're making very clear we can pivot from it. if you wanted any evidence of that, look at the chamber. no one was wearing a mask. it was miraculous that it just happened 24 hours before the state of the union. >> that's a remarkable thing because they pushed the date back to march 1, the day in d.c. >> the overarching picture they wanted to present is the country is finally carefully moving on. >> moving on, moving forward. all right. oren, i want to go to you. is there any update to forces that russia has committed? >> well, russia has at this point according to a senior defense official committed more than 80% of this massive army, this massive force they had arrayed against ukraine and around ukraine and occupied crimea essentially before one week ago. 80% that of has crossed into ukraine, more than 80% at this point. and some of that still remains outside of ukraine. whether that's in western russia or belarus or crimea. most of it has moved in. it has not been without problems for the russians.

they've had logistical issues. they've had sustainment issues. they've run out of fuel, fuel shortages. food shortages. it speaks to problems that have slowed down this advance as well as the very stiff ukrainian resistance they have encountered as they tried to move. you want to move an army of this size, you have to sustain it. and the russians have not. why they have made that mistake is a much more difficult question. whether it's because they really thought this would be over in a matter of days as vladimir putin seemed to think, or whether their leadership isn't that good when it comes to military planning of an operation this size. regardless, that's the reality we're stuck with. now they're learning from it. a senior defense official says they will figure this out. they will solve their logistical issues. they will solve their sustainment problems. they'll solve their fuel shortages and they'll be able to keep advancing. but so far that massive column that spans some 40 miles outside of kyiv has only moved about three miles over the course of the past three days or so. again, part of that is logistics

and sustainment. part that of is the ukrainian resistance they're reaching. but the point here that every official makes is russia still retains a massive advantage in forces, and that's what gives them the advantage here. they still have an overwhelming force that they're bringing in that's moving into the country on a number of different fronts that map you saw earlier, as well as some forces that remain outside the country. and that is what gives russia that advantage. >> all right, oren liebermann, live from the football, phil mattingly, thank you both. president biden is taking aim at vladimir putin in his state of the union address tonight. but is putin listening? >> six days ago, russia's vladimir putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. but he badly miscalculated.

new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when youponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candites, whose sumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol.

we need to reduce plastic waste in the environment. that's why at america's beverage companies, our bottles are made to be remade. not all plastic is the same. we're carefully designing our bottles to be 100% recyclable, including the caps. they're collected and separated from other plastics, so they can be turned back into material that we use to make new bottles. that completes the circle and reduces plastic waste. please help us get every bottle back.

♪ get a head start in investing with the new schwab starter kit™. new investors can open an account and get $50 to split across the top five stocks in the s&p 500®. you can also unlock short videos, step-by-step guides, and other easy-to-use tools designed for people just getting started. plus, investment professionals are on standby 24/7 if you ever have a question. it's the smarter way to start investing. ♪ all eyes move tonight from

washington, d.c. to ukraine and russia. president joe biden giving a warning to vladimir putin in his state of the union address tonight, but ukraine tonight is bracing for an even bigger assault from the russians. i want to bring you now steve hall, the former cia chief of operations, russia operations. steve, it's god to see you. thank you so much for joining us. the president slammed putin tonight in his speech. i want you to watch this, and then we'll discuss. here it is. >> russia's vladimir putin sought to shake the very foundations of the free world, thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways. but he badly miscalculated. he thought he could divide us at home in this chamber, in this nation. he thought he could divide us in europe as well. but putin was wrong. putin is now isolated from the world more than he has ever been. highway has no idea what's coming. >> steve, does vladimir putin care about any of that? >> i think he does very much, don. because the situation is that this is being made into putin's

war. and appropriately so, because vladimir putin is really the individual responsible behind this. vladimir putin is the one who makes all the day to day decisions, and this is really on him. he is the one who has decided to do this. the ironic thing of course is as many have noted correctly we are in the exact opposite position of where putin wanted to be. we're more unified. nato is certainly more unified. the united states is more unified. you saw the bipartisan clapping we had in response to the president's comments on russia. and of course putin promised all of his constituents, if you will. that's not exactly the right word, but all of russia and the oligarchs that things were going to be much worse, that he was going to be able to exploit these divisions. and yet here we are with more nato forces on the frontier and on the borders with russia than ever before. cares a lot about this. >> you were the cia's chief of russia operations. there are reports from putin watchers that his behavior is becoming more erratic by the

day. what do you make of that? >> well, i think the important question to answer is not necessarily what are those -- what weird things is he doing, but why. the answer is because he is afraid of a coup. he is afraid of what happened to him is what happened to previous russian leaders, specifically in 1991 when you had a whole basically coup happen inside of russia itself. and he is afraid that because he hasn't essentially been able to fulfill his promises to the oligarchs who play an important role in keeping him in power, and these people who are also oligarchs but they're former intel and military types, he is afraid those people are going to say well, it's not going well in ukraine, and it's not going well in russia. nobody can get at their money. the oligarchs can't spend their money. they can't leave russia. and this is not what putin promised. he is breaking his part of the deal. so he is acting strangely, and he is nervous, and he should be because he is worried the oligarchs are going to come

after him. >> when i spoke to people, you really want to make a difference here have, the oligarchs not be able to spend their money. start taxing their families. their yachts can't be in certain places or they can't rome around london freely. is that real? >> absolutely. i think the oligarchs, again, this is part of a deal that the oligarchs said look, you get to be president. you're going to be a strong man, but we have to be rich. we have to be able to spend that money and things have to go essentially the way we want it to. when we can't send our kids overseas to schools. when we can't spend our money because it's been frozen by everybodier essentially in the world, that's breaking your part of the deal. they'll be asking themselves why do we still have this guy around? >> wouldn't that be a turn? you think a coup is indeed possible? not likely, but possible. >> you know, it's very, very byzantine inside of the kremlin. it's extremely difficult to predict. but i think that explains why we're seeing this nervousness and this anxiousness and these strange behaviors out of putin. >> steve, stick around. we're going to be back the next

hour and continue our coverage the next several hours on cnn. cnn obtaining new images showing russia may have taken over a major city in the south of ukraine. a former nato commander is here. he is going to walk us through russia's major military maneuvers, right after this. >> the fate of ukraine is being decided right t now. stand by, matthew.w. >> there has been significant destruction here. >> what was unimaginable is now reality. >> people fearful for their lives. they don't know what's next for them. >> consider what any of us would do in that situation. >> thanks for all you are doing in ukraine. it's important. seven hundred and thirty dollars. (customer) that's something. (burke) get a whole lot of something with fmers. with our unique tub over tub instlation in just a day, bath fitter doesn't just fit your bath,

it fits your busy schedule. why have over two million people welcomed bath fitter into their homes? it just fits. bath fitter. call now or visit bathfitter.com to book your free consultation. plain aspirin could be hurting your stomach. vazalore 325 liquid-filled aspirin capsule is clinically shown in a 7 day study to cause fewer ulcers than immediate release aspirin. vazalore. the first liquid-filled aspirin capsules...amazing! alright, so...cordless headphones, you can watch movies through your phone? and y'all got electric cars? yeah. the future is crunk! (laughs) anything else you wanna know? is the hype too much? am i ready? i can't tell you everything.

but if you want to make history, you gotta call your own shots. we going to the league! ♪ baby got back by sir mix-a-lot ♪ unlimited cashback match... only from discover.

at xfinity, we live and work in the same neighborhood as you. we're always working to keep you connected to what you love. and now, we're working to bring you the next generation of wifi. it's ultra-fast. faster than a gig. supersonic wifi. only from xfinity. it can power hundreds of devices with three times the bandwidth.

so your growing wifi needs will be met. supersonic wifi only from us... xfinity. ukrainian forces are bracing for more fighting as russian troops bear down on kyiv with battle lines hardening, every minute counts for the ukrainian defenders. so where will the fighting move next? joining me now to discuss, cnn military analyst and former nato supreme allied commander, general wesley clark. hi, general. so, look, president biden reaffirming again tonight that u.s. troops will not enter the fight in ukraine. let's listen. >> let me be clear. our forces are not engaged and

will not engage in the conflict with russian forces in ukraine. our force is not going to europe to fight in ukraine but to defend our nato allies in the event that putin decides to keep moving west. >> putin moving west. how likely is it that would happen in your view? >> you know, i think that we have to say that that is a possibility. we know from what his demands were that they're not limited to ukraine. ukraine was a demonstration theater, or it is a demonstration theater. he is showing off the power of his forces, plus, it's a kind of warm-up for the russian military. it's a real operation. it's the first real big operation they've had like this. i think i'd be very concerned that it won't stop here. and here is the trouble, pamela. actually, ukraine is much more defensible, or parts of it are than some of the other nato member countries if the challenge comes there. and our allies in europe know

this. they're watching anxiously at the outcome in ukraine. >> but would he -- would putin really want to attack a nato country and bring the full force of nato to bear, which is what could potentially happen, right? and that's why you're not seeing nato be as involved in ukraine because it's not a nato country. >> that's exactly right. and we have no obligation to defend ukraine. on the other hand, they are fighting our fight in the sense that they're fighting for freedom. they're a democracy. they're trying to prevent themselves being overrun by an aggressor. and you saw the response in the congress tonight. a lot of sympathy and a lot of pride in the ukrainians. they're a tough fight, their values. it's going to be a real shock and a real pain for america and europeans if they can't make it. >> yeah. and president biden talked about that in his speech as well, saying it's going to be a tough

few days, weeks, months ahead for the ukrainians. as we speak, russia is pushing into ukraine from multiple fronts tonight. we're seeing these images of russian military vehicles travels unimpeded in a major city in the south of ukraine, kherson. what does this tell you about russia's advance into ukraine? >> they're having trouble in the north. the terrain is really tough. it's very swampy. that convoy is probably slowed down because they can't get it off the road to where they want it to be. and so they're probably doing road improvement and terrain improvement for that convoy. in the south, it's a little bit different. they've had some tough fighting, but ukrainian forces in mariupol are surrounded. there is a breakout in the south. there is movement. there is reinforcements coming. in the same in the east. so the forces are moving to complete the encirclement of kyiv. >> they are. and we're seeing some of destruction in kyiv. you know you have russian

forces. they have surrounded the ukrainian capital for about a week now. tuesday they targeted a television tower in kyiv with blasts. the babin yar holocaust memorial also getting hit in the blast. what do you make of that? do you see this as them turning to a strategy of pure destruction at this point? >> well, it's always going to be a political military strategy for mr. putin. yes, he is turning up the heat. he wants more destruction. but he'd like to destroy as little as possible in order to accomplish his objectives. so at the same time he is open for more talks. every talk will be the same. it is you need to surrender now before there is more destruction. and so it's a question of what is ukraine's tolerance for this pain. how long can they hang on? how much reinforcement can we get in there in terms of resupplies. can we do anything to give them some kind of air cover, some obsolete jets from europe i

heard were being sent and then i heard they're not being sent. what can be done to help ukraine muster its own defense. because russia is coming in at them. they've got to produce reserves. they've got to arm people. they've got to break out of those encirclements at some point if they're going to defeat russia. >> do you believe it's a matter of when, not if kyiv falling? >> i don't think it's a forgone conclusion. i think it really does depend on how much we can do for the ukrainians. they need javelins. they need stingers. they need -- they need those obsolete aircraft. you've got to keep some ukrainian aircraft in the air. they're going to need food at some point. and mobile reserves. part of it depend on how they fight now and use their remaining forces. if they can engage in mobile warfare and not get trapped in various small cities, part of it is their reserves. can they mobilize those reserves and make them mobile. so this is very much a still a dynamic outcome. i wouldn't say the outcome is forgone, but i would say it's

darkening ahead as that heavy artillery closes in on kyiv. >> all right. general wesley clark, thank you. >> thank you. and we've got much more of our special coverage ahead. he says everybody is a soldier in ukraine now, including him. the youngest member of ukraine's parliament speaking out right after this. 't do dinner? who said only this is good? and this is bad? i'm doing it my way. meet plenity. an fda -cleaeared clinically proven weight managegement aid for adults with a bmi of 25-40 when combined with diet and exercise. plenity is not a drug - it's made from naturally derived building blocks and helps you feel fuller and eat less. it is a prescription only treatment and is not for pregnant women or people allergic to its ingredients. talk to your doctor or visit myplenity.com to learn more. inner voice (design studio owner): i'm over here waiting... ... looking intensely for a print that i never actually printed... ... so i don't have to deal with that terrifying pile of invoices. intuit quickbooks helps you easily sendour first invoice in 3 steps. simple.

one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol.

do your eyes bother you? my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. strypaper? luckily, there's biotrue hydration boost eye drops. biotrue uses naturally inspired ingredients. and no preservatives. try biotrue! behold...unlimited wireless for only 30 bucks. that's pretty cool, but you know what's cooler? saving up to 400 bucks! exactly. and if we really want to take it up a notch... get all that and nationwide 5g included.

oh nice shot, send that to me. i got you. break free from the big three and get connected to the nations most reliable 5g network. get the new samsung galaxy s22 series on xfinity mobile. and right now, save big with up to $750 off a new samsung device. switch today.

i know this nation. we'll meet the test. protect freedom and liberty, expand fairness and opportunity, and we will save democracy. as hard as those times have been, i'm more optimistic about america today than i've been my whole life because i see the future that's within our grasp. because i know there is simply nothing beyond our capacity. we're the only nation on earth that has always turned every crisis we faced into an opportunity, the only nation that can be defined by a single word, possibilities. >> that is president joe biden delivering his first state of the union tonight as russia continues its aggressive attack on ukraine.

i want to bring in now cnn global affairs analyst susan glasser. susan, hello to you. thanks for joining. >> thank you. >> president biden a lot on his plate domestically and internationally heading into his speech. give us your overall assessment of the state of the union, his state of the union speech. >> well, thank you so much, don. you know, it was a wide ranging, shall we say. that was a speech that really covered just about everything that you could possibly cover. it seemed to me as though they sort of had one state of the union speech already written and then had an additional new one about putin's war that they added on top of it. but as far as the war goes, i didn't hear a lot new. i heard a lot of biting rhetoric about vladimir putin, you know. i heard biden describing in stark terms the consequences of some very big decisions the u.s. and its allies have taken already. but it wasn't really a sweeping new way of looking at this conflict in europe. >> here some of what the president said about vladimir

putin tonight, and then we'll discuss. >> he thought the west and nato wouldn't respond. he thought he could divide us at home in this chamber and in this nation. he thought he could divide us in europe as well. but putin was wrong. we are ready. we are united, and that's what we did. we stayed united. we prepared extensively and carefully. we spent months building coalitions of over free loving nations in europe and from america to the asian and african continents to confront putin. >> so susan, you know, biden faced a lot of criticism early on in this crisis that he wasn't doing enough to deter russia. after the invasion, though, the world came out against putin. how important was biden's role in uniting the west? >> yeah, i mean, look, he leaned hard into that for a reason. there has been an enormous burst

of diplomatic activity by biden and his administration. i think it's resulted in these very harsh, even harsher than expected sanctions that have been imposed on putin and russia as a result of the war. but there is a certain confusion, don, really about what was the goal of the sanctions at this point since obviously it's not deterrent from an invasion that putin has already undertaken. if anything, now they've gone so punitive, the question that was left unaddressed in the speech tonight was is the goal actually to shake the very foundation of russia and putin's regime, as it looks like might possibly be one of the results of it. so that part i think is a little bit unclear. but for biden, unity is paramount. he always stresses that. and in particular, it has been a major goal of his foreign policy to restore the close alliances that were frayed over the last few years. >> i want to get your reaction

to something, and that is a russian missile hitting babin yar holocaust memorial site in kyiv, killing at least five people. this is a site where nearly 34,000 jews were killed within 48 hours during world war ii. president zelenskyy tweeting this, and i quote, what is the point of saying never again for 80 years if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of babin yar? history repeating. look, it's chilling. and this is after putin called the ukrainian government neo-nazis. is history repeating itself? >> well, i do -- this is a grotesque pretext for war, i think. it's important for people to understand, putin has literally called the first and so far only jewish president of ukraine a nazi and used that as a pretext for launching the war. and then to have an attack like this today on one of the horrible sacred sites of the

holocaust. i've been to the place where that missile struck today, don, and it's haunting and powerful, and it's almost unbelievable that essentially russia, which fought to liberate itself in the form of the soviet union from nazi germany, that those -- that same military would now be invading the independent country of ukraine. it's really just mind-blowing what's happening. and the fact is zelenskyy is right. he is fighting alone. there is lots of words of solidarity from the rest of the world. but putin has used his country and his nuclear weapons as blackmail to keep the rest of the world and the united states out of doing more to defend ukraine. >> always i love having your perspective and hearing it. thank you very much, susan. appreciate it. >> thank you. the youngest member of ukraine's parliament taking up arms. he joins us next.

your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire

we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online.

now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana.

as russian forces take aim at their homeland, ukrainians are taking up arms to defend their nation. i want you to meet now sviatoslav yurash who has armed himself against the russian assault on his city. he also happens to be a member of ukraine's parliament, the youngest ever, and he joins me now tonight from kyiv. thanks, sviatoslav. thank you for joining us. i appreciate you being here. how are you doing? what is the feeling tonight? >> the point is clear. this is our capital. and we've defeated every incursion so far. russians have tried to get in time and time again. every single time, the populace of kyiv has repulsed them and destroyed every piece of machinery, every piece of equipment they are sending at us. that's why they are throwing cruise missiles at us. that's why they're shelling us.

that's why they're trying to destroy us in every single way. and the point is we will not let them. we will bring together everybody, millions of people in this town and push them away. >> i hear you're determined. how long do you think you can hold out against this russian army, this onslaught? because they are preparing now to increase, ratchet up their fighting. >> my great grandfather fights -- we can fight whatever they throw at us. the first phase is tragic. we had unfortunate tragic, unbelievable history in 20th century. so if we survive stalin, we can survive putin. >> you have sviatoslav, you are the youngest member of parliament ever, and now you're joining your fellow countrymen on the streets of kyiv to defend your country. tell us how much life has changed there in the last week. >> immensely.

for example, money doesn't really have a currency. the reality is you exchange goods. you bring various things and try to deliver. because i'm no soldier. i don't have experience to truly be as effective as a ukraine, special forces some such on the battlefield. i am partaking the fighting. but that's one story. the other story is bringing supplies, bringing various weaponry, machinery, al in addition, bringing food, bringing medicine. and trying to build a team around me that can do that effectively. my parliamentary team right now is mostly here up in arms and basically organizing itself and trying to be useful in the defense of our capital. and we will be. >> you know, the world is really in awe, not only the bravery -- of your bravery, but the unity we have seen from the people of ukraine you. said everybody is a soldier. you said you don't have any formal military training. is everyone you know taking up arms? tell me about that. >> well, different people different things. but the reality, for example,

ukraine has a very powerful i.t. sector. and those i.t. people have brought together their forces to try to conduct cyber operations on russia. as russia tries to block our access to the internet, tries to essentially have a blackout in ukraine, they are pushing back, restoring access and are quite successful in counterattack. the reality is many of my assistants are military people. for example, one is leading a platoon in the north of kyiv. another one is leading barricade construction in the south. the point here is that, again, everybody is useful because russia tries to destroy our nation, and we will not let it. >> have you personally encountered russian soldiers in the city of kyiv? >> yes. russians have been trying to make incursions in the city, and time and time again they are being captured, and they are being essentially now being put to try and organize this p.o.w.

we have many p.o.w.s. every single day we're capturing. we have hundreds by now. when they are asking me about the peace negotiations, we have plenty of p.o.w.s who want to exchange for our prisoners. >> explain that. talk to me more about that. you have many p.o.w.s who want to exchange what? >> the reality is, for example, we have prisoners of war wh, ukrainian prisoners of war, and we want to organize an exchange between our prisoners of war and their prisoners of war to get our people back. and the point is that russians don't really have a goal here. so they are basically giving up as well. we had a platoon of soldiers give up in the north of ukraine. so the reality is this is quite a struggle to try and bring all the russians together and exchange them for the ukrainians they have captured. >> listen, i want to know what

your neighborhood is like, not where you are. don't tell us where you are, but what your neighborhood is like now. is it abandoned? you know, is it struggling? like are there people there? what is it like in kyiv where you are? >> well, it's transformed basically. it's empty on one hand. the other hand, the recruitment stations are full. on the other hand, you have plenty of military equipment here and military presence, and the point is the city is now under martial law for the reason that russians are basically sending their spies and their saboteurs all the time to the city. and we are trying to lock down the access to the city for the russians, and we are pushing them, trying to capture them and trying to control what's going on in the town. >> sviatoslav, do you have supplies? do you have food? do you have water?

>> nothing is enough. the reality is the fighting has been going on for more than a week now. in that time, it's very hard to exhaust everything we have right before the conflict. trying to get those supplies every single day, medical supplies, ammunition, weaponry, food is a good chunk of the work i do. >> do you have -- what do you want to say that you have this opportunity to speak to really the world, more than 200 countries around the world watching cnn? do you have a message for the world and anyone that is listening? >> two things. first, russia has broken every single rule that exists in the global community, not just now but have consistently. the point here is to try and show the world that such behavior, such destruction, such murderous rage that putin is now

trying to conduct on ukraine shall not be forgotten. second, we need everything. the point here, ukrainians are organizing now for allegiance as well as volunteers, people coming trying to join in the fight. ukraine also needs everything as far as the resources are concerned because, again, we are fighting against one of the biggest armies in the world, and we are fighting with everything we've got. and the more you give us, the more we appreciate and the more we have a chance to truly beat back the russians. >> sviatoslav yurash, thank you very much. be safe. we appreciate you joining us here on cnn. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. pamela, we've seen so many courageous people, citizens who sviatoslav says, he has no formal military training. we had a couple on last night who had just gotten married, and they're spending their honeymoon fighting for their country. anderson interviewed someone, a woman who is in the basement, basically a bomb shelter with

her three children. one of them, you know, an infant, breastfeeding. a lack of supplies but definitely not lacking in determination and courage. >> yeah. i mean determination will abound. i interviewed a woman who decided to stay in ukraine with her 11-year-old son. she's a documentarian, and she said, look, we are all working together to win. and you really heard that in that message. he said, look, i'm not a soldier, but i'm doing everything i can to try to help. i'm trying to learn how to use a gun but also providing resources, supplies, providing help where i can. you've seen that with grandmothers making molotov cocktails, picking up arms. everyone who is staying behind there really is trying to pitch in any way they can, showing so much courage. i was watching that interview, don. i thought it's 7:00, almost 8:00 a.m. there in kyiv. he must be so exhausted, right? almost a week into the actual

invasion, and yet he is still so -- still has so much resolve and determination. it's so inspiring. >> the question is, though, how long can they continue on with this? it is remarkable the strength and the courage they're showing. but when you're up against a massive army like the russian army and an erratic, you know, dictator, you know, autocrat like vladimir putin, how much longer can they hold out? and certainly they're going to need help from the rest of the world, the united effort from nato and others. so we'll see, and we're watching. you have to admire their courage and bravery. >> you have to. absolutely. we've got much more. live special coverage on the war in ukraine and tonight's state of the union address, covering all the angles from new york, washington, d.c., and live on the ground in ukraine. stay with us. ” plan.

find the right plan for yoyou from unitedhealthcare. get medicare w with more.

are you taking a statin drug to reduce cholesterol? it can also deplete your coq10 levels. i recommend considering qunol coq10 along with your statin medication. the brand i trust is qunol. people everywhere living with type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible... with rybelsus®. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop rybelsus® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking rybelsus® with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting,

and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. wake up to the possibility of lower a1c with rybelsus®. you may pay as little as $10 for up to a 3-month prescription. ask your healthcare provider about rybelsus® today.

we're a different kind of dentistry. one who believes in doing anything it takes to make dentistry work for your life. so we offer a complete exam and x-rays free to new patients without insurance - everyday. plus, patients get 20% off their treatment plan. we're on your corner and in your corner every step of the way. because your anything is our everything. aspen dental. anything to make you smile. book today at aspendental.com, walk in, or call 1-800-aspendental.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. this is cnn special coverage of the war in ukraine and president joe biden's first state of the union address. i'm pamela brown. >> and i'm don lemon. the president harshly condemning russia's invasion of ukraine, saying vladimir putin met a wall of strength that he never imagined, both a united west and the ukrainian people are fighting back. >> it's now early wednesday morning in ukraine, and we're covering all the angles on this breaking news story. cnn's michael holmes is in lviv tonight. >> and former cia chief of russia operations steve hall is right here in new york with me. >> michael, let's start with you. russia is intensifying its bombing campaign, targeting ukraine's second largest city of kharkiv and the capital of kyiv. how are the ukrainians handling all of this incoming fire? >> reporter: well, they are trying to defend it. they've done pretty well as we've seen so far. and, yeah, you're right. the russians are now trying to move on a number of cities. they still don't own a major

city, we should point out, and that's credit to ukrainian forces. kersohn in the south, the city of more yeple, russians trying to surround that right now. they've been pummeling kharkiv and of course moving closer to the capital, kyiv. the fears there is they will encircle. they could lay siege, cut it off. putin's forces could just stay there and prod and pressure and squeeze, or he could potentially press on in what would be a bloody entry to the city itself with the aim, of course, of toppling the zelenskyy government. we know about that massive column, 40 miles long, 65 kilometers, just outside the capital. that's help give the sense here of a new and grim chapter perhaps could be coming in the next couple of days. the real fear is having stalled in his advance in the face of that unexpectedly strong

ukrainian resistance, putin will now ratchet things up militarily, and putin has form in this, chechnya, syria. he has form in not shying away from brutal tactics. >> i want steve hall here in new york with me to react to that. i see you shaking your head as he's saying that. a senior official told cnn today that a russian advance on kyiv is basically where it was yesterday. they're running out of fuel and food. but we know this 40-mile russian convoy is just outside of kyiv. what do you think putin's next move here is? >> well, i think he's been frustrated because, of course, his expectation and i think the russians' expectation as well, it's sort of like a blitzkrieg. within a couple of days, we'll have everything under control, and that's not what's happened. but the think the illusion back to chechnya is a good one. i anticipate that unfortunately the harder it gets, the more frustrated that putin gets and

the more pressures he feels back home, you're seeing more and more protests. you're seeing greater -- you know, the economic sanctions are biting. he's going to be more and more tempted to just go ahead and pull out all of the stops, use all of his heavy weaponry, all of his heavy artillery. already we're seeing some strategic aircraft he's beginning to use. he's going to pound harder and harder and that's going to really hurt the ukrainians over the short and midterm. >> and, steve, president biden said tonight that vladimir putin is now more isolated from the world than ever before. is that how you see it? >> yeah, i do. he really is isolated in a number of different ways. first of all, everything that he wanted to have happen, he wanted a divided west. he wanted less nato troops on his border. he wanted specifically a divided united states, and he had a good bit of that not too long ago. all of a sudden, he wakes up, and he's got a united eu. he's got a united nato.

the united states as we saw in the president's speech this evening. you've got republicans and democrats all standing up and applauding with regard to ukraine. so he's isolated in that sense, and i think there's a chance -- it's hard to tell what's going on in moscow specifically, but he's becoming a bit more isolated even amongst russians. you've got russians who are very soon going to be very upset about not being able to get money out of their atms and you've got oligarchs who are going to be upset about not being able to access their money and travel abroad. >> michael, what are you hearing from the ukrainians who are still desperately trying to get out of the country? it is so dire right now. >> reporter: pam, this is the heartbreaking aspect of this. it really is. we're meeting people here in lviv because people coming from the east, passing through here, some staying, some moving on to the border. and it's getting worse and worse literally by the hour. this is a humanitarian crisis that isn't building. it is here. the u.n. saying well over 650,000 people, 650,000, have

fled the country. the experts say it could get to 4 million. on top of that, you've got internally displaced people, people who have fled their homes but not the country. there is assistance coming in for those who have crossed into neighboring countries. but for those displaced inside ukraine, those people hunkered down in basements and homes, there are also worries about things like medical supplies, even food supplies in some of these major population centers now being surrounded and more and more cut off. you know, it's the worst humanitarian crisis of its kind in decades, and if the displacement lasts for years, which it could -- it could have long-reaching impacts for europe and not dismiss the fact a massive brain drain for ukraine. >> you know, steve, i want to ask you, all for what? he says possibly 4 million people. this is a humanitarian crisis. you mentioned chechnya. people like the former

ambassador to russia, michael mcfaul, former director of national intelligence james clapper here on cnn calling putin unhinged. but hasn't this always been his m.o., the way he operated, whether it's chechnya, whether it's crimea, whether it's georgia, even poisoning his enemies at home and abroad? >> there is no doubt. clapper and mcfaul, both of whom i worked for and with know him well. this is part of his style. it's how authoritarians work and especially in russia. it is something that is very common. the biggest question in my mind is this, of course, was entirely unprovoked in ukraine. there was no -- despite russian propaganda, there was no threat of attack. there was no reason for him to go into ukraine except for the fact that this is something that putin decided that now is the time to go ahead and do it. again, the great strangeness of the whole thing is that as he looks at the situation, he has achieved the exact opposite of everything that he hoped to. so that part is inexplicable.

in chechnya, we knew what he was up to and in all the other conflicts to include syria, we knew what he was up to. but he appears to have seriously miscalculated in ukraine, and as a result, he's got great united forces looking to push back and against him. >> steve hall, michael holmes, thank you both very much. pamela. i want to bring in former u.s. ambassador to ukraine john herbst. thank you for your time tonight. russia is getting hit with crippling sanctions from the u.s. and its allies. tonight president biden announced russian aircraft will be banned from u.s. airspace. what else do you think the u.s. should be doing to support ukraine? >> i think the odds of putin leveling a savage campaign against ukraine as your previous guest mentioned, as he did in chechnya and in syria, are quite high. and we need to take some steps to at least reduce the impact of that if he goes in that

direction. so first of all, you know, people have been talking about a no-fly zone. that's probably not realistic because that would almost certainly involve u.s. aircraft shooting at russian aircraft, so we don't want to do that. but we could, for example, help ukraine jam russian electronic warfare. that would give ukraine some of the advantages of a no-fly zone, and we should do that seriously. we also have to help provide, make sure that ukraine gets the arms. we should have sent them months ago. that was one serious mistake in the biden approach. the arms only started to flow, additional arms, about four or five weeks back. we need to send a lot more stingers. we need to send more javelins and we need to help ukraine acquire more drones and immediately. three, we need to help the ukrainian people by delivering humanitarian assistance. we can send on u.s. cargo planes, military cargo planes, humanitarian aid to kyiv.

just tell the russians we're coming and send the planes. similarly, we could do the same at sea, sending u.s. navy ships, cargo ships into odesa with humanitarian aid. bes so these types of steps should be taken. >> you know, one thing that president biden really wanted to convey in his speech, it seemed, was the unity between america and nato countries, other nato countries, the 29 others. you really have seen europe rally behind ukraine, even traditionally neutral switzerland. germany made a big turnaround. are you surprised by how forceful the response has been against russia? >> this is an amazing, even an historic turn in europe. basically germany had been weak

on the kremlin as it launched this war in ukraine in 2014, as demonstrated especially by the nord stream 2 project was a monumental disgrace to germany and also to the biden administration for letting germany have its way. but germany went from that in the space of five days to not just agreeing to the end of nord stream 2 but to sending arms to ukraine, to increasing its defense budget to over 2% a year. putin's wanton aggression in the past week has changed germany's position and, as you mentioned, switzerland's position. sweden, the netherlands, belgium, they're all sending arms to ukraine. this is unprecedented. >> also you have president -- go ahead. >> in addition, historically both sweden and finland have been neutral countries. but as a result of this latest russian aggression, 62% of the

fins want to join nato. sweden also a large number, in the low 40%, want to join nato. this is stunning, a huge blow to putin. >> a huge blow, and you talked about how in a sense, putin has galvanized these typically neutral countries like switzerland or country who were initially not as -- also you have president zelenskyy, who has won the hearts of the world with his courage. he says he is putin's number one target. cnn spoke with president zelenskyy today. we're goingcoming up. but he's in a bunker in kyiv vowing to stay. however, russian troops are bearing down on ukraine's capital as we've been talking about tonight. how do you think this goes for zelenskyy? >> it's just not clear. yes, the troops are -- i don't know, 15, 18, 20 miles from kyiv. but if those troops try to enter

the city, many of them are going to die because the ukrainians are going to fight from street to street, and civilians have signed up to join the battle. we've seen the pictures both threatening russian troops and preparing molotov cocktails. what putin will probably do, as your other guests mentioned, he's going to probably start a completely wanton bombardment, which will be a war crime because he'll be killing civilians. but that's what he did in syria and in chechnya. so he will face dangers from that bombardment, but more likely in his bunker he can survive it. the question is can russian troops go in and essentially seize the whole city? and, again, besides the civilians, the ukrainian civilians, many russian troops will die, and that will be a major problem for putin at home. both the ukrainian civilians, because the russian people don't want their army killing civilians, and of course the russian soldiers.

so this is not going to save putin in ukraine. i think putin's going to -- either he's going to have to withdraw from ukraine or he'll be defeated there, and there will be new leadership in moscow. >> all right. we'll leave it there. ambassador herbst, thank you. >> here to discuss california state guard colonel john spencer. he is the director of urban warfare training for the 40th infantry division. we're so glad to have you on colonel, appreciate it. ukrainian cities are a battlefield right now. you saw that shocking video from kharkiv earlier today. new video shows a military strike on apartment blocks in the city just outside of kyiv. how does ukraine fight back against that? >> so i think this is -- i've been studying urban warfare for a decade. i've been training it, teaching it from the tactical level up to the theater level like we're talking about here. in ukraine, like the president

said, not only entered a wall of strength in the ukrainian people. it's getting ready to hit a wall of concrete in these cities. in urban warfare, it may be the biggest military, but the russian military is not the best military. even for the best military, if you can pull them into urban terrain, it's a living nightmare for them. we know what's going to happen. i actually think it's ironic based on historical studies that we think that the russians have a massive force compared to the ukrainian force. in urban fights, you need five times the amount of troops against one defender. so if you count the numbers of fighters, even if you don't count the civilians with kyiv, what putin's bringing is not enough. even if you count the entire force that he's put into ukraine, 190,000 troops, the u.s. coalition into the invasion of iraq, which i was a part of. i jumped into northern iraq and was part of the invasion and

took down baghdad, was only about 177,000. and i tell you, iraq is not ukraine. iraq was lightly defended, barely at all, and it was still hell. this has the possibility -- and i actually agree with your prior guest. this is going to go really badly for the russian military, who is not the best. they've actually shown, as you were talking about, how unprepared they are. they're running out of equipment, and to be honest -- and you mentioned it just a few minutes ago -- this is about will. all war is about will of both sides. it's your ability to inflict your will on the other. the ukrainians have the will to pay the ultimate price. the russians -- you know and i know that the russian soldiers don't have the will to pay the ultimate price. they're already demoralized. they didn't know the plan going in. they don't have time to siege the city. i think that's highly unlikely that they siege kyiv.

they got to break through. so hopefully they've run into a wall of concrete. >> it's interesting you said these urban fighters really have the advantage supposedly, and we're seeing not so evident mighty russian military. it is also shocking that someone like vladimir putin underestimated the people of ukraine, even people who have no military training, the citizens of ukraine who are saying, there is no way we're going to allow you to do that. how much does determination play into this? >> it's everything, don. i mean it is everything. i agree with you. he completely underestimated the resistance he would face. maybe he was listening to generals that don't have any experience in urban warfare since every one of these battles is urban. and this is all about the strategic objective. if they don't take kyiv, they can't win. and if ukrainians can keep them from taking kyiv, as long as they don't lose, they're winning. but that will and that

determination has everything. i mean think about the numbers that the ukrainians have, even if all they have is a molotov cocktail. how many are left in kyiv? 1 million? 2 million? there's no way in my personal opinion as an expert in urban warfare that the russians can take this without paying a huge price. so the question is how much of a price is he willing to pay? >> let's talk about -- even with that, i want to talk about this convoy heading towards kyiv. senior defense officials saying that russian convoy heading there has stalled, that russian forces are facing fuel and food shortages and probably some morale issues as well because they didn't think they would be facing such challenges. you think this is giving the ukrainians a critical window to exploit. talk to me about that, colonel. >> every hour they -- so if i was a soldier, a commander in kyiv at this moment, i would be on a 24-hour cycle, barricading every street, every alley, every house, turning every inch -- and

the president mentioned this, about fighting for every inch of ukraine. i would make the russians fight for every inch of that city. one of your guests talked about a barricade construction team. that's exactly what they need to do in order to continue to make it the most difficult fight, and i can guarantee it, that any of these russians have ever faced. the first battle of grazny, russians were defeated. i think one of the critical things they have to do is what they're doing, and the more time they get in this delayed convoy like we all know, the more walls they can put up. by walls, i mean barriers and defensive belts and lines and weapons and start organizing the civilians to be a part of the resistance because i've been trying to put out information saying if i was in any city, it doesn't matter where i was,

these are the things that i would do. like they can't stay on the streets. that's the type of information that -- that's the planning and preparing that has to happen now. nobody can stand on the street because then they're immediately going to be struck by something. but urban terrain, don, it's the great equalizer. it doesn't matter how powerful that military is. think about the battle of ma sewell. we provided complete air supremacy for the iraqi security forces and it took 100,000 forces to get 5,000 rookie terrorists out of ma sewell. it took them nine months to do that. >> wow. >> this is not going like -- i think there's this narrative that the ukrainians don't have the advantage. they have the hope. they have the will. and right now they have the strongest form of war, and they're preparing every hour that this goes on. >> colonel spencer, learned a lot. very interesting. we'll have you back. thank you so much, sir. i appreciate it. >> thanks, don. >> thank you. a rare moment of unity on

capitol hill tonight. republicans and democrats applauding president biden's stance against russia's aggression in ukraine. . vazalore 325 liquid-filled asaspirin capsule is clinically y shown in a 7 day study to cause fewer ulcers ththan immediate release aspirin. vazalore is designgned to help protect... releasing aspirin after it leaves your stomach... where it is absorbed to help prevent another heart attack or stroke. heart protection with your stomach in mind. vazalore. the first liquid-filled aspirin capsules...amazing!

as a professional bull-rider i'm used to taking chances. but when it comes to my insurance i don't. i use liberty mutual, they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need.

wooo, yeaa, woooooo and, by switching you could even save 665 dollars. hey tex, can someone else get a turn? yeah, hang on, i'm about to break my own record. yeah. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty. ♪

on this night, on our 245th year as a nation, i've come to report on the state of the nation, the state of the union. and my report is this. the state of the union is strong because you, the american people, are strong. we are stronger today -- we are stronger today than we were a year ago, and we'll be stronger a year from now than we are today. >> president biden giving his first state of the union address tonight, making his pitch for his domestic agenda and foreign policy to the nation. cnn's speech reaction poll finding 71% of americans who watched the speech had a

positive reaction to what they heard. joining me now to discuss, cnn senior political analyst mark preston, cnn national politics reporter eva mckent. and cnn analyst laura barone lopez. all right, late night crew, let's talk about this. look, president biden went into this speech with horrible approval ratings by anyone's measure. but those are pretty good numbers for the reaction, the audience reaction to his speech. he is facing tough domestic headwinds at home, an international crisis, but do you think he came away from this speech a stronger president than going into it? >> one thing we should note about that poll and we always see this after these speeches is whatever party is in office, their supporters tend to watch more than the other party. so in this particular poll, i believe that the speech watchers were 11% more democrat. so you have to factor that in. but to your point, if you look

at those numbers, i mean he did well. a win for him tonight was not a loss. i mean really the expectations for joe biden to come in and deliver a speech, that's all he's been really criticized for, you know, certainly over the past year from republicans. so he went out tonight and delivered a fine speech. it was a laundry list of things to do. he was able to talk about unifying themes, and i think the fact that we saw republicans and democrats at least come together on ukraine, if anything, i think was a positive development. but it's not going to change the hearts and minds of republicans. it's certainly not going to change the hearts and minds of democrats. i think joe biden right now, though, is just trying to keep the ship moving forward at this point, and it's going to be very difficult. his domestic agenda is very much in trouble, as it has been for his first year in office. >> yeah, it certainly is. he started off his speech, eva, talking about ukraine. we saw tonight lawmakers wearing the colors of ukraine's flag, blue and yellow.

the republicans joining democrats in standing up, a show of bipartisanship that we really haven't seen much in recent years. what is the significance of that? >> i think it was a rare and moving sight, and it reflected the spirit of the country. i think regardless of party affiliation, there is universal disgust at the barbarity of vladimir putin. so no surprise that republicans and democrats both echoing that sentiment. i will say, though, in the weeks ahead, that is when the real test will come because this crisis is far from over, and now both parties are going to have to come together to continue to respond. this is not to say that there hasn't been criticism from republicans of president biden's execution of all of this, of handling this. but in terms of rebuking putin, which president biden did very strongly tonight, there was support for that. and i think in the weeks ahead when we see that there has to be votes on sanctions, has to be votes on a relief package, that

is when the true test comes. will democrats and republicans hold together to be able to continue to respond to this? >> well, you see that unity you saw in the chamber filter into that? i want to turn to his economic message because biden hammered home this message of buy american, build american tonight. let's listen. >> when we use taxpayers' dollars to rebuild america, we're going to do it by buying american. buy american products. support american jobs. we'll buy america to make sure everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails is made in america from beginning to end, all of it. >> so what do you think? did biden show us a democratic answer to trump-style populism here? >> i mean this has been a key part of biden's agenda since he ran for the president, right,

which is that he has been trying to argue that they would bring manufacturing back, that they would show that democracies can work not just in what he's doing right now in confronting russia, but also showing that democracies can provide jobs for people at home, can provide higher wages, can make sure that america is actually bringing manufacturing back. and so that's what he was hitting on there. they were able to get infrastructure last year, right? his arguably biggest win out of congress aside from the rescue plan was the bipartisan infrastructure bill, something that a lot of democrats want to see biden and their fellow party members really drawing that contrast and saying a lot of republicans didn't vote for this bill even though it was bipartisan, and some did in the senate. so that's something you might see them hit on more heading into the 2022 midterms. but to mark's point, so much of his economic agenda is stalled

in congress, and it's not moving anytime soon. we heard senator joe manchin leave the chamber tonight telling reporters that he thought what biden was saying, he's not sure where it came from and that there haven't been any resumed talks and he's not onboard right now with a lot of those agenda bullet points that biden laid out. >> by the way, joe manchin sat with the republicans tonight. >> that was a controversy, though, because nowadays, as there was in past days, you're not allowed to sit with somebody on the other side of the aisle, or you're considered a traitor. joe biden, for a lot of democrats, has been a traitor. i think certainly the progressives are very upset at joe biden -- excuse me -- at joe manchin. but the fact of the matter is at a time when we need unity, when we need the congress to come together, they're not going to agree on everything, but there's got to be some domestic items that they can agree on. eva's point as well, there's got to be agreement on how we're going to deal with ukraine, how we're going to deal with them

financially, how we're going to deal in sending weapons over to them, and how we're going to deal with vladimir putin. what's interesting tonight was all the criticism that joe biden got from republicans about his approach to vladimir putin with nary a word about how donald trump embraced vladimir putin during his presidency. >> and to mark's point, i mean in the days leading up to russia's invasion of ukraine, fox news as well as a number of republicans were siding with russia, were saying, why are we opposing russia. >> right. >> and we saw two members of the republican house, two house members recently joined a white nationalist conference where there were speakers praising russia and having chants that were saying, you know, we should support russia. so i think that's important context here. also on this speech, if i could add, one thing i thought was mm

>> of there's threats abroad. there's threats at home. and that is why this is a huge piece of my presidency and what it really is all about right now. he mentioned it, but he almost mentioned the election bills the democrats are trying to pass in passing, as one-offs. >> thank you so much, laura, eva, mark. appreciate it. more than 670,000 ukrainian refugees have already fled the war-torn country, but at the border, many people are waiting days in the cold, struggling to survive.

when traders tell us how to make thinkorswim® even better, we listen. because platforms this innovative aren't just made for traders —they're made by them. thinkorswim® by td ameritrade

the u.s. saying tonight that 677,000 people have fled ukraine amid russia's ongoing invasion. that number could grow to 4 million in the coming months. but not all refugees are being treated the same way. cnn's arwa damon has the story. >> reporter: for too many here, this is a family's last day together. an endless stretch of broken hearts and shattered realities on the road to ukraine's border with poland. at one of the border crossings, it's a parallel story of different forms of pain. on one side, ukrainian families. some have already said good-bye to their husbands, fathers, sons. men aged 18 to 60 are not permitted to leave. some families stay together until the end, desperate to postpone that final farewell. they move through within hours. on the other side, non-ukrainians, students and professionals from dozens of

nationalities. all who we spoke to said they had been here for days in below-freezing temperatures, angry, delirious, cold, weak. they said they walked here, told they are not permitted to board the buses. those are for ukrainians only. so this is the fourth time you are trying to cross the border? >> yes. >> reporter: yasid is from afghanistan, here with his uncle and his family. >> two months that i didn't hear my parents' voice. >> oh. >> yes. so it's so hard. >> yeah. >> reporter: they have all been on the road for four days, back and forth from border crossings. his aunt's arms are aching from carrying her newborn. she had just given birth the day before russia launched its first strikes. >> stayed the night at the border. >> reporter: they did not think

little sumiya would survive. we lost track of them at the border. they were able to move to the front of the non-ukrainian side because of the children. but for the men waiting in a line that has not moved, another night in subzero temperatures is not something they think they can survive. >> who are you going to tell your problems to? you have no one. >> how long have you been waiting? >> for me, i've been here for two days now. >> and you? >> four days. >> four days right here? >> yes. our parents are at home waiting for us. i feel like crying. ukraine is a beautiful country, but they don't have to treat us like this. we are not the cause of this. >> reporter: there is not a single person here who can come to terms with how quickly, all violently all they knew to be real and safe was ripped away. alina is from vietnam, married to uri from ukraine.

they are directed over to the ukrainian line. you're going to have to stay here? >> yes. i will stay. >> we have made the decision just this morning because i want to stay a little longer to see what is going on next. >> how are you explaining this to the children? >> my older son, he understands. my little girl, she know that's the war, now is the war here, but she doesn't really understand what is the war. >> hi. hi. it's the afghan family. did you make it? >> they didn't want to cross. >> reporter: we head over to the shelter they are sent to, and there we find this german couple. they used a ukrainian surrogate to carry their twins. >> but they say on the border,

go back. the kids are 3 weeks old. they must go to poland. we need help. >> reporter: they were waiting for their babies' passports when the war started. a war that has already crushed so many lives and ripped away so many dreams. arwa damon, cnn, ukraine. >> just heartbreaking. thank you, arwa. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy has quickly emerged as an international hero, standing up to vladimir putin and inspiring the ukrainian people to fight back. now he is speaking directly to cnn. or the plalaces we didn't go. ♪ ♪

when you need help it's great to be in sync with customer service. a team of reps who can anticipate the next step genesys technology is changing the way customer service teams anticipate what customers need. because happy customers are music to our ears. genesys, we're behind every customer smile.

amid the ongoing siege of ukraine by russian forces, cnn's matthew chance talks with the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. here's that.

>> what matters, so many messages. i think that he has to give those message what will really work. that is very important to be -- to be very useful in this situation, in this war against russia. >> translator: i think first of all, he's a world leader, and it's very important for people in the united states to understand that despite the fact that the war is taking place in ukraine, it's essentially for values in life, for democracy, for freedom. therefore, this war is for all the world, and that message should be sent far and wide from ukraine to people in the united states so they understand what it is like for us here, what we're fighting for, and why support for ukraine matters. >> for a long time, you downplayed the u.s. intelligence

assessments about there being an imminent russian attack. do you now regret that, and do you think the fact that you didn't act earlier has left the people of ukraine unprepared? >> translator: the response you see today, how we work, how our army works and defends us, is a testament that we're ready for anything. even though we were preparing in advance, it's important not to let your enemy anticipate your reaction. that's why i really did not like that situation where we put everything at risk and tell the world that we're preparing for war. >> the united states has said that it will not enforce a no-fly zone over this country, and it won't put boots on the ground. do you think it is now time for president biden and other western countries to reconsider that and to help you not just with military aid but with manpower? >> translator: i've already turned to some foreign leaders with this request. i believe that leaders must

support democratic states of the world who are keen to defend the principles. the powerful issue of closing the airspace helps us tremendously. this does not mean dragging nato into this war. we spoke many times with president biden, and i'm thankful for him, for these opportunities and support. but they also did not hear me. i've been telling them that ukraine will fight hardest of all. you will see. but us alone against russia, we would not be able to do it. >> your army has enjoyed some significant battlefield victories in the past week. i, myself, have been to see some of the russian armored columns that have been totally hammered and destroyed by the weapons and the men that you've got fighting the russian advance. are you now concerned, though, that the kremlin will double down on its military operations and hit ukraine even harder? >> translator: >> firstly, why are we winning

and why are we defending ousts? yes, russia will double up, why are men more powerful and more successful? because as i said, we have what we need to protect, and they do not even understand our state. they do not know these streets. they do not know our people, do not understand our philosophy, our aspirations, what type of people we are. they don't know anything here. they were just sent here to fight and to die. >> send your delegation to meet the russians for talks. did anything substantial come out of that? is there any hope as the world watches for diplomacy? >> they decided, they decided to begin to speak about the situation. and i wanted, i really wanted and i ask them, you have first of all, everybody has to stop, stop fighting, and to go to that point from where it was

beginning, yes, it began, today six, six days ago. i think there are principle things you can do it. and that is very important moment. if you'll do these and if those side is ready, it means that they are ready for the peace. if they don't rally, it means you're just, you know, just -- how -- >> wasting time. >> do you think you're wasting your time or do you think they're ready? >> we'll see. >> incredible interview by matthew chance with president zelenskyy of ukraine. as russia advances on ukraine, one american family is scrambling to rescue what's very dear to them in kyiv, their newborn twins. that's next. the driving. pack at your pace. store your things untitil you're ready. then we deliver to youour new home - acacross town or across the country. pods, your personal moving a and storage team.

out here, you're me than just a landowner. you're a gardener. a landscaper. a hunter. because you didn't settle for ordinary. same goes for your equipment. versatile, powerful, durable kubota equipment. more goes into it. so you get more out of it.

♪ ♪ wow, we're crunching tons of polygons here! what's going on? where's regina? hi, i'm ladonna. i invest in invesco qqq, a fund that gives me access to the nasdaq-100 innovations, like real time cgi. okay... yeah... oh. don't worry i got it! become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq

>> woman: what's my safelite story? i see inspiration right through my glass. so when my windshield cracked, i chose safelite. they replaced the glass and recalibrated my safety system. that's service i can trust. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace. ♪ why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? hide my skin? not me. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. hide my skin? not me. and for kids ages 6 and up that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice.

hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes, including blurred vision, joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. an american family is working to get their newborn twin babies out of ukraine.

the family surrogate gave birth to the twins prematurely, just hours after vladimir putin announced he would invade the country. >> well, today the babies were moved to a new hospital in kyiv. the hospital they were previously in hit with a missile soon after they left. the father speaking to cnn tonight. >> we're hoping every day that this moment will come soon. you know, every day we're faced with these seemingly impossible tasks, and each day brings a new task. long-term we're of course seeking for medical transport, properly equipped medical transport with safe package for the babies. >> let's hope they get safe package and everyone is okay, pamela. it's been a real pleasure working with you. thank you very much. >> you too, don. >> we'll see you soon. >> happy birthday. got to squeeze that in. although it's a little after your birthday now. all right. >> thank you, pamela. >> our coverage continues with michael holmes in lviv, ukraine and rosemary church in atlanta, right after this. age 188...

uhuh carl, are there different planning options in here? options? plans s we can build on our ow, or with help frorom a financial consultant? like schwawab does. uhhh... could we adjust our plan... ...yeah, like if we buy a new house? mmmm... and our son just started working. oh! do you offer a complimentary retirement plan for him? as in free? just like schwab. schwab! look forward to planning with schwab. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some...rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief.

with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin cancer; death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least one heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. learn how abbvie could help you save on rivnoq.