Skip to main content

tv   Jose Diaz- Balart Reports  MSNBC  February 24, 2022 7:00am-8:00am PST

7:00 am
good morning. 10:00 a.m. eastern, 7:00 a.m. pacific, 5:00 p.m. in kyiv. 12 hours since russia launched its invasion in ukraine. just before dawn local time russian president vladimir putin announced what he called a special military operation. he said the goal is to demilitarize ukraine and warped other nations they could face great consequences if they interfered with the operation. within minutes, explosives were heard in cities across ukraine as russian forces launched
7:01 am
attacks on multiple fronts. shortly after the invasion began, ukraine's president declared martial law, urging his people to take up arms. an adviser to the head of the ukrainian presidential office tells nbc news dozens of ukrainian soldiers have been killed. nbc news has not been able to independent confirm that figure. ukraine also claims it has captured two russian soldiers and destroyed four russian tanks, shooting down several aircraft. a kremlin spokesman says russia's only goal is to neutralize ukraine's army and it does not plan to occupy ukraine. right now president biden as we speak is holding a virtual meeting with leaders from the world's largest economies after he met with the national security council to discuss what he called an unprovoked and unjustified attack. he also says he spoke with ukraine's president and that russia will face severe consequences. with me now to start off our coverage this hour, nbc news
7:02 am
correspondent erin mclaughlin and retired general ben hodges, persian chair and strategic studies at the center for european policy analysis. erin, let me start with you this morning. what is happening right now in ukraine, in kyiv where you are? >> reporter: well, just a three or four-hour drive from the capital kyiv is the chernobyl nuclear zone, jose. we are now hearing from an adviser to the minister of the interior that the russians have breached the ukraine border from belarus in the chernobyl zone. the national guard of ukraine, which guards the storage of unsafe radioactive waste in chernobyl is fiercely resisting this adviser to the interior minister saying, quote, if the occupiers strikes hit the
7:03 am
facility, radioactive dust may cover the territories of ukraine, belarus and the eu countries. this, again, coming from an adviser to the interior ministry. obviously this is a source of serious concern here in ukraine. we all remember the chernobyl nuclear disaster from 1986. my understanding is that the dome that covers that disaster, they're less worried about that. they're more concerned about this radioactive nuclear waste storage site as the fighting is going pretty much as i speak, this following what has been a horrific day here with multiple strikes -- drone strikes, missile strikes on a number of locations in kyiv, primarily military installations as well as airfields at this point, jose. >> erin, it's important that we talk about chernobyl because in 1986, as you say, in april of 1986 the nuclear power plant there essentially exploded and
7:04 am
disintegrated, part of it. it was a russian power plant and part of the soviet union's nuclear power at the time. erin, you have experience over these last 24 hours some intense moments. you were just in a garage just moments ago. now you're back upstairs. what are you seeing and what are you experiencing? >> reporter: that's right. about two hours ago we heard the sirens ring out here in kyiv which is an indication that you should go to ground, preparing for possible missile strike. i was texting with an adviser to the mayor of kyiv and he was advising that we all go to ground. so we went into the garage underneath the hotel where i am now. this hotel does not have a bomb shelter. they have a lack of bomb shelters here in the city of kyiv. there's enough for about 2.8 million people. this is a city of about 3.5 million people. so we were speaking to a
7:05 am
military source who said they fired four ballistic missiles in the direction of kyiv. while they've been primarily hitting military installments and airfields, things like that, there's always the possibility of collateral damage. for example, four miles from where i'm standing right now here in the heart of the capitol they struck the military intelligence headquarters earlier today. so the possibility of collateral damage is real, and that is why they're so concerned and why you hear -- when you hear the air sire wrens, the advice is to go to ground. >> erin mclaughlin, thank you very much. stay safe. i appreciate you being with us this morning. general hodges we've sen russian fors attacking military bases and other key sites across the country. what does this tell you about the russian plan of attack? interesting that they haven't done a lot of avoiding the radar stations or eliminating radar stations, et cetera.
7:06 am
what do you see in this assault? >> jose, thank you. if you'll allow me, i am so proud of erin. she has been on her feet all day long in a very difficult situation and continues to deliver good analysis and reporting. i think that, of course, we're seeing violence around the periphery of ukraine. it's difficult to figure out all the facts on the ground as is always the case in the early days, in the early hours of any invasion, there's a lot of disinformation as well as confusion. some of this, of course, were planned by russian federation forces. i think there's not been as much in terms of cyber and missile strikes as one might expect if this was, in fact, going to be the apocalyptic invasion to overrun ukraine. it hasn't been quite the shock and awe that we might have thought.
7:07 am
i would also say ukrainian forces, there are lots of reports of tactical successes at different places. helicopters being shot down, tanks being destroyed, russian casualties. so reports coming from the kremlin about ukrainians surrendering, giving up, are proven to be totally false. >> that is probably part of the misinformation, disinformation campaign that russia is carrying out to try and affect the morale of ukrainians. general, what do you think russian actions mean from the response of the u.s. and nato and its european allies? >> obviously, the diplomatic effort has got to not only continue but intensify now that this next phase of the russian offensive has begun, that doesn't mean diplomacy stops. keeping the team together, getting the sanctions in place,
7:08 am
putting -- exerting mounting pressure on russia in every venue is going to require a massive diplomatic effort. i think the administration is doing a good job here. we also need to ramp up the delivery of capabilities. now is not the time to turn off delivering air defense and antitank systems. if anything, we should be grabbing every singer we can find in the united states and in europe and providing them to ukraine, something on the scale of the berlin airlift or opening up ground convoys from poland into ukraine to deliver these capabilities. >> stinger 1, stinger 2, anything and everything. i'm just wondering, it would be very difficult to do a berlin-style airlift now under the conditions. >> well, you're right. so i am sure that our logistical planners and u.s. european command and u.s. army europe and across nato are thinking up how
7:09 am
to ground up a ground loc, line of communication, using light convoys, but delivering capability from poland into ukraine and then ukraines can send it forward where they need it. i'm they're thinking through how to do this. >> retired lieutenant general ben hodges, thank you. i'm joined by milan yeah, an activist in ukrainian. paint a picture of where you are. what are you living through? >> i'm currently in the city of lviv. it has been very tense it's better than in most parts of ukraine now. we have had some air strikes in the early morning, had air raid signal. we had a base near ukraine heavily shelled as well as an air force base.
7:10 am
however, there haven't been any casualties. still the situation is quite difficult. it is gruesome. i have actually sent a couple of close friends of mine to war basically yesterday, yesterday night. we're holding on and i think we're going to survive this. >> melanyia, it must seem so surreal to be going through this, and at the same time when you're sending friends over to fight and you're hearing explosions, it's a very real reality. >> well, that reality has sort of been our life for the past eight years, i mean not to the same scale definitely, but we have lost 15,000 people in this battle with russia during the last eight years, and we have had these experiences before, never on this scale, and it is very troublesome. you can feel -- the air is
7:11 am
tense. but still, we don't -- ukraine will never give up. that's just the point. our military, our morale is at all-time high. i'm in constant contact with the military units that i'm helping find summon any for supplies and whatnot. i think we're doing very well for the situation we have found ourselves in. however, we do need more support from the international community in that regard. >> what is it that you think you need? >> first of all, i'm hopeful to hear more news from our partners in the united states and in europe. we need those sanctions -- russia needs to be hit where it hurts to get the message that this is not just inappropriate, but that the countries of the free world will not tolerate this kind of behavior. and, also, i think military aid and giving us more weapons is essential to us being successful
7:12 am
in this situation. >> melanyia, thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you. with me from moscow, nbc news senior international correspondent keir simmons. keir, thank you for being with me. what's the message putin is trying to send to the world today and what's the message he's telling the russians? >> reporter: well, it's about 12 hours now, jose, since president putin appeared on television here in russia and announced this military campaign. russians woke up to see it playing on loop across their television stations, and it was a rambling address. it was unscripted. he went over his unhappiness about nato, kosovo, iraq, libya, syria. he even went into the u.s. -- political divisions in the u.s. and called america an empire of lies. so while he did talk, for
7:13 am
example, that he does not intend to occupy ukraine, it was rambling, at times delusional and ominous. let me read one aspect of it, jose, which i think made my hair stand on end. russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states. there should be no doubt that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country. there was another message like it later in the long address. that appeared to be a message to western leaders. of course, as you mentioned, president putin needs to bring the russian people with him. he does have a lot of support in russia. we were out on the streets this morning talking to people and people were coming up to us to try and tell us that they were unhappy, saddened by this, heartbroken by this, that they didn't want this, they wanted peace. remember, there are millions of ukrainians living here in russia. almost every russian you speak
7:14 am
to will tell you someone they know, someone in their family, some ukrainian heritage that they have. this is a fight among brothers. that makes it particularly difficult for president putin to be confident he's going to bring his country with him, particularly when russians have woken up to their currency collapsing at the banks. some of our producers have say at the banks -- some banks in moscow have run out of dollars because people are desperately trying to get ahold of currency that isn't the ruble. the nick impact will have an immediate effect on ordinary people here in russia because, of course, a collapsing currency will mean potential inflation. that effect could have an impact on president putin's standing in the country. as soon as a conflict begins, everything that is predicted and planned goes out the window. we know that. for president putin, don't have any doubt, he is the mind behind this. he has a small codry around him.
7:15 am
for president putin, the risks are enormous, not just in ukraine, but here in russia. >> keir simmons in moscow, thank you very much for being with me. still ahead, we'll talk to two foreign policy experts about why americans need to be paying attention to what's happening in ukraine. ukraine has been invaded unilaterally by russia. president biden will deliver remarks about the russian invasion of ukraine at 12:30 eastern, 9:30 pacific time. what the white house is planning to do next. you're watching diaz-balart reports. g diaz-balart reports. psst! psst! flonase all good. [ doorbell rings ] oh! there's my little nephew. he looks more like dad every time i see him.
7:16 am
-dad is old. -right. so, your message said you wanted to talk about insurance? i said, "i want you to talk about insurance." well, most people know that bundling home and auto -saves you money. -keep saying your words. but did you know that new customers who bundle and save with progressive can save an average of $800? shh. sleeping baby. i love you, too. ok, let's talk about those changes to your financial plan. bill, mary? hey... it's our former broker carl. carl, say hi to nina, our schwab financial consultant. hm... i know how difficult these calls can be. not with schwab. nina made it easier to set up our financial plan. we can check in on it anytime. it changes when our goals change. planning can't be that easy. actually, it can be, carl. look forward to planning with schwab. schwab! ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪
7:17 am
♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's what do you think healthier looks like? cvs can help you support your nutrition, sleep, immune system, energy ...even skin. so healthier can look a lot like...you. cvs. healthier happens together. what are you recommending for muscle pain? based on clinical data, i recommend salonpas. agreed... my patients like these patches because they work for up to 12 hours, even on moderate pain. salonpas. it's good medicine
7:18 am
when it comes to cybersecurity, the biggest threats don't always strike the biggest targets. so help safeguard your small business with comcast business securityedge™. it's advanced security that continuously scans for threats and helps protect every connected device. on the largest, fastest, reliable network with speeds up to 10 gigs to the most small businesses. so you can be ready for what's next.
7:19 am
get started with internet and voice for just $64.99 a month. and ask how to add securityedge™. or, ask how to get up to a $650 prepaid card. happening right now, fear across ukraine as russia launches multiple attacks across the country. ukrainian president zelenskyy moments ago in a tweet, accused russia of trying to seize the chernobyl nuclear power plant calling it a declaration of war against the whole of europe. that was the largest nuclear disaster in the history of the world, still having an impact on all of us. meanwhile, back in the u.s., as we mentioned, president biden will deliver remarks about the russian invasion of ukraine at 12:30 p.m. eastern time, 9:30 pacific time. president biden along with g7 leaders are discussing right now
7:20 am
their joint response to moscow. this as the president held a meeting with his national security council in the situation room. joining me is nbc news senior white house correspondent kelly o'donnell, susan page from "usa today," correspondent molly hunter joining us from london. thank you for being with me. kelly, what more can we expect to come out of today's meet? >> reporter: we mow the meeting got started at 9:17. that's what white house officials tell us. as far as we know, it's still going on. this is a key opportunity for president biden and the other g7 leaders to talk about how they want to respond. what are the next set of sanctions and other steps they may need which could include additional military reenforcements in the nato countries that border ukraine and trying to also provide for military support, humanitarian aid for ukraine and to prepare
7:21 am
for things like potential refugee flows that could come as ukraine is under assault from roush yeah and people are being displaced. we expect those are some of the kinds of hefty subjects they are talking about. this has been really a critical part of having these leaders be on the same page or as close to the same page in how they're approaching these things. there are different interests among the different countries, different economic relationships, so trying to have as much of a united voice in how they want to respond to this is critical. president biden, of course, has been involved in these conversations. he's also wanted europe to play a very large role in this because it is their neighborhood where this is unfolding. this, of course, is the most serious military action to happen in europe since world war ii. of course, this is one of the issues where president biden has a lot to try to sort of do the
7:22 am
leading of this with some new components in the g7. for example, the new german chancellor is a new figure in this group. now, we also expects when he speaks to the american people somehow around 12:30, the president will shift from having talked about the intelligence he had been given by the u.s. about what he thought vladimir putin would do and now we've got some reality to actually look at with real military strikes, real consequences and early assessment: he had his national security council meeting this morning. we've been told he's been getting updates through the night and early today. it's a starting point. the question will be how serious will the sanctions be. be they go as far as they possibly could? the indications will be these will likely be sanctions that will again go after russian banks and oligarchs maybe tied to vladimir putin. we don't have a sense that it will go to the fullest extent, perhaps holding back some
7:23 am
additional levers as this unfolds further. jose? >> kelly, in this speech the president will give at 12:30 eastern, 9:30 pacific, there's also the importance of letting the american people know why this is important for all of us. >> reporter: absolutely, putting that in terms that people can relate to, can experience and understand the historical context. it feels like ukraine is a far ways off. there are areas of the united states that have ukrainian neighborhoods, churches and history. i came from a place in northeast ohio where there was certainly a lot of ukrainians, but it's about bigger issues. this is a sovereign country that has been attacked unprovoked. those are issues that the united states has historically stood up and fought for. also historically, if other nations don't address that kind of intrusion and invasion early,
7:24 am
there are usually worse consequences that follow. that's part of where lessons of history, principles of the united states and the values of the country all become important. it may seem far off, but it's also very relevant to the american people. that's the argument the president has to make. >> absolutely. susan, secretary of state anthony blinker spoke to nbc's lester holt last night about potential next steps if russia escalates this crisis. there are, no doubt about it, a new set of circumstances that we're waking up to this morning. what kinds of sanctions, et cetera, should be on the table? >> well, i think we do -- as kelly said, we expect much tougher sanctions to be announced today by the united states now that we've had this very clear invasion into ukraine. there are other steps as well the united states could take, trying to force russia out of some international
7:25 am
organizations, costing them -- trying to isolate russia from the rest of the world and make it pay a price for this incursion. but the reality is that the united states is not optimistic that this is going to be reversed any time soon. what's happened in the last 12 hours is going to have repercussions for us for the rest of president biden's term. disrupting the stability in europe that the united states has basically been able to take for granted since the end of this cold war. this cold war could be back, jose. >> holly, you're in london where we're getting reaction from the top leaders from the uk and europe. what more can you tell us this morning? >> reporter: we just heard from the prime minister, jose. he condemned putin like we've been hearing from other western european capitals. he teased up a massive package
7:26 am
of economic sanctions. jose, he said his message to ukrainians, we're with you, we're on your side. he didn't go into details about what exactly that might mean. he also framed this as an attack on freedom, on democracy as a whole. take a listen. >> president putin of russia has unleashed war in our european continent. he's attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse. >> peace in our continent has been shattered. we now have war in europe on a scale and of a type we thought belonged to history. >> reporter: jose, both hammered home we are in a new geopolitical reality. we will hear more from the british prime minister in a few hours about the specifics of that massive economic sanction package. >> holly, talking about economic
7:27 am
packages, it's no secret, for example, the uk has a lot of oligarch money investments in real estate and throughout the uk and europe. they own soccer teams, et cetera. any expectation they could maybe go after the people that have already invested in the uk? >> reporter: absolutely. that is something that not only high-level politicians are calling to happen, i think we'll hear that discussion later today. as stoltenberg and boris johnson really hit home, this message that not only are we in a new political reality, but really european capitals across western urine agree that russia will need to be punished. it was interesting from boris johnson and jens stoltenberg, jose, they talked about and hammered home that if russia goes any farther than ukraine, nato will have to act. listening to that nato press
7:28 am
conference earlier, journalists pressed stoltenberg about where the nato troops are. he was very clear right now there are no nato plans and no plans for nato troops to go into ukraine. as far as sanctions on russian individuals and russian money in the uk, i think that's going to be a hot topic in london for the rest of the day. >> thank you very much. we're talking about repercussions, not just what happens in ukraine affecting ukraine. take a look at these pictures from poland. we're already seeing folks from ukraine arriving to poland. people have been leaving kyiv and other cities throughout ukraine, throughout the morning. there have been evacuations of entire areas. some people are arriving to poland. poland, we resh, is a nato country and some ukrainians are already arriving there. we'll go back to ukraine and talk to a ukrainian journalist on the ground in just a few
7:29 am
minutes. stay with us. i don't ear watching "jose diaz-balart reports." "jose diaz-balart reports.
7:30 am
[music: "i swear"] jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day... and forgot where she was. you can always spot a first time gain flings user. ♪ as a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. cut. liberty m... am i allowed to riff? what if i come out of the water? liberty biberty... cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪
7:31 am
7:32 am
it's still the eat fresh refresh™ and subway's refreshing everything like the new honey mustard rotisserie-style chicken. it's sweet, it's tangy, it's tender, it never misses. you could say it's the steph curry of footlongs. you could, but i'm not gonna. subway keeps refreshing and refreshing and re... we got the house! you could, you did!not gonna. pods handles the driving. pack at your pace. store your things until you're ready. then we deliver to your new home - across town or across the country. pods, your personal moving and storage team.
7:33 am
we're continuing to follow breaking news out of ukraine. right now russian forces are attempting to seize the area around the chernobyl nuclear power plant. this according to ukraine's president, president zelenskyy. the mayor of ukraine's capital announced a curfew metro stations will be available as shelters around the clock. take a look at these helicopters flying over popular areas. cal perry, good morning. what's the latest where you are?
7:34 am
>> reporter: here in this city, people are hoping this can be a place to shelter. we just heard from the mayor who gave a press conference, he's urging sints to know where the nearest bomb shelter is, to stock up on water and food. there's concern there operation will be much wider than people expected. these military operations, these wars, they have a life of their own. as we look at the pictures of this fighting as close as 16 miles from the capital, it is absolutely terrifying for the civilian population of this country. most people in this country like in any country are not looking to stay and fight, not looking at the geopolitics of this. they are fleeing. they are scared. right now people are i doog. that is the reality for the citizens of this country. 44 million people live here and most of them will be on the move. we're hearing from the international red cross, they'll double their efforts here and across the border in poland, in cities like where i am now. they're going to clear dormitory
7:35 am
space hoping students will find other places to go and those spaces will open up. a big question here, jose, what will other european countries do? will they welcome european refugees in a way they did not, syrian refugees. what will that do to the continent. when the ukrainian president says this is a european-wide conflict, there's no doubt that's where this is headed. we heard from the morn minister saying it's a new world order. when you talk to people on the ground in ukraine, as they watch these images, it's incredibly emotional. they will tell you in their view this is a war without a point, that there was no disagreement, this is vladimir putin acting completely aggressively without any cause. it will cause a humanitarian crisis. there's no doubt about that, jose. >> cal, there are few who have covered more conflicts around the world than you. tap into your expertise. invasions don't often occur overnight and everything is
7:36 am
done. there are waves to it. where you are right now, it looks as though people are going about their business, very clearly knowing what's around them. we have belarus supporting the russians and forces coming in from belarus. what are you fearing? >> reporter: i'm fearing the unknown. i'm fearing that we don't know where this is headed. fighting in chernobyl, fighting at an airfield 16 miles from kyiv. if they can secure that airfield, they can fly anything in. my experience tells me that war is horrifying, that it's children that are going to die, elderly folks are going to die, that resources will become scarce. i'm reminded of what happened in 2015 when syrians were turned away at european borders, when countries shifted to the right their politics. that is fresh here. britain left the european union over basically a misinformation campaign about immigration. this is a continent that is not necessarily prepared to handle
7:37 am
this during a pandemic. and again, these things don't end well ever. wars don't end well. these things end in desperation with civilians attacking other civilians, with retribution attacks. it's just -- we talk a lot about winners and losers. we talk a lot about the military and who is gaining ground. the losers here are the ukrainian people and the russian people, civilians on either side who don't understand why this is happening and what is going to happen. the fear of going to an atm machine to get cash, to get your children, your parents, your relatives out of a city, and a cyberattack has limited your ability to do that. people are having to turn back because they're going to run out of fuel. that's the reality on the ground. >> and it's a reality that just starts when an envision starts and can carry on for months or even years.
7:38 am
cal perry, great to speak with you. thank you for being with me. still ahead, we'll do a deeper dive into the invasion of ukraine. what putin's end game may be in all of this. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. n. once-weekly ozempic® can help. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles.
7:39 am
don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® 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 ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. listen, i'm done settling. because this is my secret. i put it on once, no more touch ups! secret had ph balancing minerals; and it helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. so pull it in close. secret works.
7:40 am
♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's at fidelity, your dedicated advisor will work with you on a comprehensive wealth plan across your full financial picture. a plan with tax-smart investing strategies designed to help you keep more of what you earn. this is the planning effect.
7:41 am
pnc bank believes that if a pair of goggles can help your backhand get better then your bank should help you budget even better. virtual wallet® with low cash mode℠ from pnc bank. one way we're making a difference. men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
7:42 am
up at 2:00am again? tonight, try pure zzzs all night. ♪ ♪ unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. 42 past the hour. we're already getting in these pictures of ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries like poland as russia promises a full-scale attack. this is just moments ago, folks leaving their country. think about that, what this really means these are live mixtures coming in from poland. joining me is the political editor of kyiv independent. you're in ukraine and you were actually just in a bomb shelter.
7:43 am
what did you see? what are you living through? >> yes. we had information that there was going to be an air raid on kyiv. we know that the airport near kyiv was bombed. there was information that government buildings can be next, and the mayor recommended all citizens, all residents of kyiv to find shelter, so that's what we did. we had around 20 to 30 people in the shelter. we heard planes. we don't know were they russian planes or ukrainian planes. i assume they were russian. russia has air superiority right now in kyiv and around ukraine. so, yes, we spent a bit over an hour there. we didn't hear much bombing --
7:44 am
we heard it. it was far, so we decided to leave and prepare for tonight, obviously. >> oleksiy, how do you process this? what you're living through, what people throughout the country are living through? how do you process this? >> well, yesterday i came from work at 3:00. we already expected something was going to happen. then i was sent a link where dictator putin announced war against my country. i had to call all my relatives. i had to make sure they're safe. i had to find bomb shelters. we heard fire and we know that kyiv and a lot of other cities were bombed, government buildings, military outposts were bombed. so we're at war --
7:45 am
>> we just lost oleksiy sorokin. he was using his mobile device to speak with us, spending the most difficult, harrowing hours of maybe their lives. oleksiy, stay safe. we'll keep in contact with him. still ahead, a deep tooif into the invasion of ukraine by russia. into the invasion of ukraine by russia
7:46 am
men put their skin through a lot. day-in, day-out that's why dove men body wash has skin-strengthening nutrients and moisturizers that help rebuild your skin. dove men+care. smoother, healthier skin with every shower. ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's how bout sushi? i just had sushi for lunch yesterday. indian? ehh, maybe. that thai restaurant we went to a couple weeks ago? how bout tacos? tacos. automatic emergency braking — one of six advanced safety features standard on every 2022 chevy equinox. find new technology.
7:47 am
find new roads. chevrolet to make my vision a reality. i have to take every perspective, and see clearly from every point of view. with my varilux progressive lenses i seamlessly transition from near to far. and see every detail in sharp focus. when you see no limits, there are no limits. book now at your local essilor experts to push the limits of your vision.
7:48 am
varilux lenses by essilor. 48 past the hour as we continue to follow these latest developments from ukraine. we want to take a few minutes to look at the big picture of what the russian invasion means for europe, ukraine and the rest of the world as we see these live pictures from kyiv, the capital, at 5:48 p.m. local time. i have two great guests with me to talk about that.
7:49 am
richard haass, president of the council for foreign relations and author of "the world a brief introduction." david ignatius, msnbc contributor. david, i want to begin with you. what is putin's big picture? what is he gaining from this? >> putin's big picture is the one he's been articulating now for 15 years. he believes, argues strenuously that nato's expansion eastward threatens russia's security. he seems to believe it. he has traditional russian anxiety about attacks from the west. he's been saying that russia finds this threat intolerable, and he's moved ever closer towards putting in place barriers against the west. he sees crimea in 2014, sees
7:50 am
parts of eastern ukraine in 2014. now this all-out invasion essentially, if we read putin right, to achieve regime change in kyiv. he's as much has said that in his announcement of war overnight. he wanted to
7:51 am
europe and nato over the past couple of years. why has europe not admitted ukraine as a member state? >> ukraine doesn't meet many of the conditions or qualifications for core membership. there has to be uninamity. it's important to see it not simply as a diplomatic as symbolic move but you're undertaking enormous commitments. you're willing to put everything
7:52 am
you have. it would be an enormous undertaking and i would think simply one that for good reasons we have real interest in ukraine, we should make commitments in ukraine and there also needs to be a ceiling on what we're willing and able to do. i'm just thinking of 1994 when ukraine decided to give up the nuclear weapon for a russian guarantee they would respect the sovereignty and boundaries and borders of ukraine yet that wasn't even worth the paper it was printed on for putin. >> absolutely. neither the united states nor the u.k. has lived up to the spirit of that. people pointed out it was assurances, not security guarantees. i actually worried that it sends a message that giving up nuclear weapons could be hazardous to your health or not having
7:53 am
nuclear weapon could be hazardous to yourself. that was the lesson some took after the fall of saddam or gadhafi. and they may decide in this world reliance upon others is simply too uncertain to be a real security policy. >> a scary proposition but a possibility no doubt. david, why do you think americans should pay closer attention to what's happening in ukraine. >> so i'm going to give the standard argument that president biden and his team have been making but it strikes me as being correct. the rules-based order, to use the afraid in quotation marks, on which the united states is partners but really the whole world has relied since 1945, the
7:54 am
network of institutions, guarantees, understandings, that has been put at risk by putin's actions, it's a violation of the rules. even the chinese doesn't seem comfortable if giving false support to what putin has done, nor should they. the chinese understood it's important to have borders better recognized. so that fundamental of the world that we live in is now challenged. i would also note that there's no guarantee that putin is prepared to stop once he has taken control of ukraine. putin's appetite is enormous. one thing we know about is he goes as far as he can before somebody stops him. so does he intend to now move on to threaten the other eastward expansions of nato that he's
7:55 am
complained so bitterly about? we don't know. i note one further thing that really is troubling in the last 24 hours, putin has repeatedly made reference to nuclear weapons. one of his justifications for invading ukraine i think is a completely manufactured argument, that the ukrainians might soon have nuclear weapons that they could use, but there's no evidence that ukraine has a nuclear program. that was manufactured. and, secondly, putin and his war announcement overnight warned that any country that tried to oppose him by saying we have the most extreme measures, we have new weapons, he made reference to new weapons that use new laws of physics, some new terror weapon that the russians have come up with, i found that
7:56 am
language disturbing. it takes us to a different space. >> it reminds us of august of '39 and how hitler was giving pronouncements and still dealing with the west as he invaded poland. thank you very much for being with me this morning. we're keeping an eye on the markets this morning. you see on the bottom and now central on your screen almost 600 points down in the dow. what the ukrainian vision means for you, for all of us next. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports. ♪ everyone's talking about flexibility, but what does it mean? flexibility is working a 40-hour week or a 4-hour week, if that's what you need. (woman) do you feel better?
7:57 am
it's earning now, while saving for the future. it's having dinner with your family on wednesday and driving during dinner rush on friday. flexibility is working wherever, whenever and for whatever reason you want. so... when it comes down to it flexibility is about how you want to work and live. ♪ ♪ ♪a little bit of chicken fried♪ ♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's
7:58 am
as a business owner, your bottom line get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. is always top of mind. so start saving by switching to the mobile service designed for small business: comcast business mobile. flexible data plans mean you can get unlimited data or pay by the gig. all on the most reliable nationwide network. with no line activation fees or term contracts... saving you up to $500 a year. and it's only available to comcast business internet customers. so boost your bottom line by switching today. comcast business. powering possibilities.™ (vo) this year, t-mobile for business is here to help you hit the ground running. when you switch to t-mobile and bring your own device, we'll pay off your phone up to $800. you can keep your phone. keep your number. and get your employees connected on the largest and fastest 5g network. plus, we give you $200 in facebook ads on us! so you can reach more customers, create more opportunities,
7:59 am
and make this the best year for your business yet. visit your local t-mobile store today. world markets are plunging in reaction to russia's invasion on ukraine. joining me is stephanie ruhle. great seeing you. walk us through what you're seeing. >> it's not good. any time you see a global disruption, people get hit. what people are really focusing on are oil prices, hovering around $100 a barrel. it's going to impact us sooner rather than later at the gas pump. gas right now is about $3.50 a gallon. it could go as high as $4. what others are worried about is inflation. with a global disruption like this and a problem around trade, not that russia is a huge
8:00 am
trading partner for us but we've got a global supply chain. they are one of the biggest exporter of wheat and corn. that will impact getting things in the shelves here in the u.s. inflation wasn't a good thing yesterday and it's even worse tomorrow. >> stephanie, can i just say you're the greatest? >> so are you. >> thank you so much. that wraps up the hour for me. i'm jose diaz-balart. andrea mitchell picks up with more breaking news right now. good morning. i'm andrea mitch nell washington. as the world reacts to russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine, the biden administration has rallied western allies in united condemnation of putin's aggression. this morning president biden
8:01 am
co

173 Views

1 Favorite

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on