hundreds of thousands of covid-19 vaccines to moldova. and millions of dollars of pandemic related assistance. we will invest $18 million in the next year is to help strength and and diversify model this energy sector. where security is vital for your sovereignty. we support the -- lead negotiations. to finalize a settlement to the transaction -- with a special status. and we will seek every opportunity to deepen the ties between our countries. economic ties, educational ties, people ties. because we want our friendship with the people of madonna to grow even stronger. in the face of the global challenges that we face today, we will all gonna be more successful when we go as partners. especially among democratic characters. we like countries that staff -- support inclusive governance

for citizens, produce the best solutions for the most difficult problems. so, we will support medulla as we see our priorities. fighting corruption, fighting democratic reform. including in the -- and developing an independent media that can deliver reliable information and can help fight misinformation. as people around the world step up to defend democratic values, moldova is a perfect example of democracy rising to the moment with determinants. this partnership is built on shared interests, and shared values. we are very grateful to moldova for 30 years of friendship. we look forward to the next 30. and on behalf of the american people. thank you again for your generosity towards the ukrainian refugees at this moment for >> democracy and peace. thank you.

[speaking foreign language] >> now we're going to take questions from the representatives from the press. we start off with the moldovan media. >> -- i have a question for both miss sandu and antony blinken. in the first ten days of the war, moldova received the biggest amount of refugees from ukraine. again, mid comparison with the population of -- huge effort for our country. can the international community do in order to quickly help out those people? and in order to cease the war in ukraine? >> we'll continue helping our -- out all the people who have to flee from the war. this isn't a challenge.

this is exactly the reason why we have requested the international assistance in that shape a financial assistance. to compensate all the expenditures we have in order to help out those people. but secondly, we need mechanisms to re-channel refugees that would like to continue their journey to reach out to other countries. so those requests we have -- and obviously, we also expect specialists that have been involved in the maddening of the situations earlier. people that know how to read -- those are the most important elements of assistance which we are expecting from the international community, as well as from our partners. >> i agree with what the president said.

there is a major effort under way involving countries around the world to support refugees arriving from ukraine. but first and foremost, the burden has been on neighboring countries, like the republic of moldova. like poland and others. and are the immediate responders. what we're seeing now is the international community joined in to support these countries and to support that refugees. so, you have the major international organizations, including the united nations in particular, that's bringing its expertise and resources to bear. as i mentioned a moment ago, president biden asked our congress for emergency support to include very significant humanitarian support. to help ukraine deal with the humanitarian consequences of this wars progression, both within ukraine itself, but also in the surrounding countries

that are receiving refugees. so, we're bringing our own technical expertise to bear, including here and the republic of moldova. we'll also be bringing resources to bear to help alleviate some of the burden that moldova and other countries are carrying. >> [interpreter] secretary of state, which we do you assess the submitted by the republic of moldovan the application of mueller to join the european union? and for which the united states can help us out in this process. for example, could we expect support in order to strengthen our energy independence, which is michael vital, i think, in order to have true independence in our country? >> thank you. [end of translation] >> i of course can't speak for the european union, that i can say that we very much support moldova's european aspirations and welcome the work that's

been done in that direction. this is the will of the moldovan people and we welcome the pursuit of closer ties and greater integration. but ultimately, that process is up to moldova and the european union and its member countries. when it comes to energy independence, i think that's absolutely vital. that independence and energy security is actually critical to maintaining once sovereignty and independence. that's exactly why we are working to support mueller in its efforts to build greater energy so security and diversification. we're doing that with financial support to develop alternatives. we're doing it with expert support, as it happens our new ambassador is an expert in these very issues.

so, we'll be working very, very closely with moldova, as we have been already, to help produce greater diversification. greater energy security in the coming years. i think this is something vital to pursue for all countries. and we know also what can happen when any country, this is the case for many, is overly reliant on others that prove in one way or another, prove to be reliable suppliers. so, this is very much the focus of what we're doing together. and is something we'll be pursuing very actively right now and then the months and years ahead. >> [interpreter] -- >> jake, new york times. >> good morning.

hello, madam president. thank you for having us. secretary blinken, given that the state department has again urged americans to leave russia immediately, are you considering closing the u.s. embassy in moscow? and regardless, what is the biden administration doing about that detention of american basketball player brittney griner? was this a retaliatory move by the russian government? it was the announcement of her arrest yesterday prompted the new travel alert? and then finally, how seriously is the u.s. considering selling additional f-16's to pull in, so that poland can give its planes to ukraine? and realistically, how quickly can this happen to help against invasion? thanks. >> laura, thanks very much. with regard to the individual you mentioned, there's only so much i can see, given the privacy considerations at this point. let me just say, more generally, when an american is detained

anywhere in the world, we of course, stand ready to provide every possible assistance. that includes in russia. as you know, and we've talked about this for a long time, we've been seeking the release of paul we learn and trevor reed, for sometime. both of whom were unjustly detained. we have an embassy team that is working on the cases of other americans who are detained in russia. we're doing everything we can within their rights. we've also advising americans not to travel to russia. similarly, where advising americans in russia to leave. but for my perspective, in times like these is, important that we maintain our diplomatic contacts. that we maintain the diplomatic support, particularly support that we can provide to americans who need it. so, that's what i'm focused on doing.

with regard to planes, a couple of things. first, just as a general proposition, over the past year, we provided more than a billion dollars in security assistance to ukraine. more than in any single previous year. we're in very active conversation with ukrainian officials, with the government, president zelenskyy, and others, to get an up to the minute assessment of their needs. as we get that assessment, we're working on seeing what we and our allies and partners can deliver. we are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that pull may provide to ukraine. and looking at how we might be able to back fill should pull and decide to supply those planes.

i can't speak to timeline, but i can just tell you we're looking at it actively. >> thank you very much. madam president, what do you see as the implications of russia's invasion of ukraine for moldovan security? and what concrete measures are you hoping to see from the u.s., in terms of support? in addition, if i may, have you seen any changes to the russian troop presence in transnistria? and for secretary blinken, you've been very clear that the u.s. commitment in nato countries, but you've been equally clear that u.s. troops won't fight to defend ukraine. and that context, what kind of assurances can the u.s. actually made to moldova about its own security? >> [interpreter] of course, we do follow -- in transnistria. we don't have information so

far -- significant changes. however, this is a subject of high -- i want to remind you that we had troops of the russian federation originally here illegally. it's a vulnerability. we do have information so far which would confirm the intention for those troops to be involved in military actions in ukraine. however, in this region, of course there's no possibility for us to feel safe or secure. especially when we watch what's going on. when we saw all those attacks and the war in ukraine. obviously here within the republic of moldova we try to do our best in order to ensure the safety of the citizens. beyond the security, there are multiple implications for us.

there are implications related to the economic -- the republic of all the way used to have a relationship with ukraine. and now all the economic cooperation, like all the companies, the agents, which used to be part of this relationship are being affected significantly. obviously, it is a very difficult now to reach out to get some of our province and investors we. promised our citizens to bring investments to our country by. in the current situation is very difficult. this crisis of refugees places high pressure on our economy. judging by the figures that we have available today, a number of refugees have chosen to stay in the republic of moldova.

accounts for 3% of the number of stable populations. just in ten days, we've seen such a significant figure. obviously those figures will go up. i want to repeat, it's a our model duty to help out everybody who needs assistance. and we will help everyone who needs assistance. however, we do need support from our partners in order to be able to help out other people. we do hope that this assistance will come for us as soon as possible. peter we strongly support moldova's sovereignty, as well as the constitution's neutrality. you have seen the response that we have helped to mobilize around the world. to russia's aggression against ukraine. whenever, and wherever that

aggression might appear. then we will do the same thing. >> we're gonna continue to listen into this press conference between secretary of state, anthony blinken, and the president of moldova. it is already been news making. talking about the number of refugees, 216,000 brought to that country. they have open arms, some even their private homes. refugees streaming in from ukraine in an increasingly dire situation from people on the ground. also about americans that are being detained in russia. what's the path is on that. including wnba star britney. but the biggest news here is secretary of state saying there are active conversations in the u.s. government about the desperate plea made by

zelenskyy that his military needs more power. one of the things being considered, is that poland would stand -- and the u.s. would back giving 68. but putin said it would be a declaration of war. for more on this, let's bring in marion sublot ski, a member of parliament in ukraine, -- and. think you so much for being with us. mary and the vlad ski, if you can please, we all know that the president of ukraine yesterday made a plea to members of congress saying we need more power power. and it has immediately gotten some support from some key members of congress. explain why that so important right now as you try to flush fight russia's incursion? >> the -- of russia's ten times the amount of ukraine. we have greater moral, greater motivation but it cannot

compensate for that. we do need to have firepower not to just protect our country, but all of europe. i think it is clear why secretary blinken is in moldova. he thinks that moldova is the next country for russia to attack. month russia already has troops in the breakaway region of -- . and we agree with that assessment. it will definitely not stop with ukraine. we think he is likely to attack mode over this year, then to the baltic states. and members of the european union and nato. and we think, unfortunately, nato will be in direct conflict with russia. we asked not to wait for further escalation, but to give us things now. so least we can contain it on our territory. >> how desperate is the situation? tell us what you can about what's happening on the ground right now and why president zelenskyy said unequivocally, times of the evidence here.

>> because russia is using its peer ear amounts of armor, that it bought for the money from oil. and they are striking mostly from the air, our targets. we need some time to bring in enough military equipment to hide them there. currently, more than 90% of ukrainians believe that we will fight them back. because currently, this is a national struggle. and i'm sure will be willing this war beside everything. russian people, they don't understand why they were sent here, this is our greatest advantage. all we need is more firepower. >> so tara, we heard would blinken had to say. active conversations. but what exactly does that mean? and if indeed we can see it playing out in real time on the ground, that time is of the absence. how quickly impaired guns speak can things move? >> this is a numbers game.

russia has also last jets in this conflict. but they have a lot more jets lose. so the idea of moving jets forward using these -- to back them, because ukrainians are unfamiliar with them. and then getting as 16th, is a way to get jets forward on to the battlefield as quickly as possible. many logistical questions. how the jets would get into ukrainian jet space where ukrainian pilots can get them and fly them in. but we see this enormous ground swell, this movement. right after to landscapes poke to his members of congress, and a story that was broken by the wall street journal. it really rang home to them. and we see a movement, not only with wall makers in the white house, but also in the pentagon. they said they will not stand in the way of getting these shots into ukraine's hands as soon as possible. >> susan wild, the democrat of pennsylvania had to say after that call with the president of

ukraine. take back a listen. >> we all agree on what needs to be done. we are not going to impose a no fly zone. however, we are prepared, 100%, to make sure that ukraine has the planes that it needs. >> and as ministers of latchkey pointed, out tara, this is a concern about europe. and this is a concern now about moldova being the next country that russia puts in its sights. he pointed out the breakaway republic that already has russian troops on the ground. talk about that big picture concern, if you well, and how that fits into the decision-making of the united states. >> i think -- the with the defense department last week. there's two concerns right now. the stability of putin's health, and whether he would seek a nuclear option. and secondly, what is true intentions are.

does he actually intend to just take away the breakaway regions. that's false. it seems his true intent was to take on ukraine. but it's opposite him. and we see them edges of potential maps over the last week. the suggesting moldova might be next. that really raises a question for all of europe. is this the -- nato is designed to prevent. and european nations are designed to form alliances and protect each other. and how that time comes now. no one seemed to be prepared for it. >> yes, that's right. we saw that last week. the president of belarus standing in front of a map, and seemed to show the next possible encouraged in that would go into moldova. is there anyone you are talking to on the u.s. side that things that's not a possibility? >> i don't think anyone that i have talked to on the u.s. side says they know what's putin's true intentions are. and the motivation now is to stop it as soon as possible. >> let me ask, you finally, mr.

is a vlad ski, because we just heard from the president of moldova, many other countries have like poland in the eu who have said, come in, we'll do everything we can to take care of you. but the humanitarian crisis is clearly growing. the scenes of children who are too sick to be moved out of a pediatric ward in kyiv, and cannot get them medicine they need for cancer treatment. those things are happening. and some of the pictures that we're seeing. would you say to the people who are watching the american people right now, about what you're asking of the united states and why that's so important and humanitarian level as the presence of mulled over the last just said, a moral duty? >> first of all, very grateful to the united states and other places for providing aid to ukraine. we see it in -- public and we see it in the

united states. thank you to mulled over. as ukraine and the refugees now make up 15% of their population. unfortunately, this is the biggest humanitarian crisis in europe since world war ii. unless russia stopped. and i called for the u.s., and for the policy makers to do everything possible now, and not to hold back any options in any sort of time. putin's intentions are very clear. he made them public. he will attack ukraine, he will attack moldova. he's lost his mind. he's not very healthy in terms of mental capacity, he really intense and times to resort to brute force. it will go bigger, it must be stopped now. >> ukraine and -- thank you so much both of you. we appreciate your expertise this morning. i want you to get updated on many other developments.

the situation is becoming increasingly desperate on the ground. in the southern city of mariupol, the mayor says that life has become a horror. no electricity, no heating, no television connections. hundreds -- of against eastern ukraine right now have the gas turned off because of heavy fighting and fears of an explosion. hopes of a limited cease-fire shattered yesterday because russia plowed ahead with offensive operations, according to uk intelligence. russia's cease-fire in mariupol was likely a plan to reset forces. there is a plan to reopen some of those humanitarian lines today. a cease-fire, let's see how that goes. but ukrainians are not backing down. there are protesters in southern ukraine pushing against a military vehicle we have seen. and uk intelligence is reporting that russian supply lines have been targeted. the latest fighting adding to the growing humanitarian crisis is just now seeing one and a

half million refugees fleeing ukraine. that is the number. one and a half million refugees. the largest displacement of european since world war ii. for more on this, we're joined by nbc correspondent live in the western city of lviv. and -- in the border crossing in poland. what do we know about the state of the salt on ukraine? what's the latest? >> chris, i think the big news this morning is the humanitarian corridor and the possible cease-fire. , yesterday when we spoke at exactly this hour we had possible good news that the russian assault on cities like mariupol was going to pause this morning. well, about an hour after we spoke that was shattered. once again, hopeful this morning that families are waking up and hoping that they can get on government buses. they are going to get on and hit rides with friends, get any

transportation ahead of this green corridor heading west. i just want to show your viewers a graphic, showing exactly white mariupol is and what the green corridor will look like. now, according to a civil government there, the cease-fire is supposed to last 10 am till 9 pm local. it is new right now. and the information we have from on the ground is that the evacuation has gone to three different -- to pick up civilians. we have not gone confirmation. we have not seen pictures of civilians actually getting on these buses yet. and again, the mayor of that city, the government there is implying people to stop their cars full of supplies. leaving no one in that city of 450,000 behind. they will hopefully make their way west to where we are. we are relatively safe. a big landing spot where people are fleeing. some heading out west. i do say, talking to allison, she's just across the border for me. there are a lot of people. in addition to the 1.5 million

refugees that have already left the country, there are a lot of ieds. internally displaced people. they are coming here because it is safer. who want to wait it out before they go back home. they all say that as the pictures come out of the, east if this violence is not let up, we will see the numbers crossing the border getting out of the country increase as well. >> yeah, as they realize they may not have a kontigo back to. alison, let me pick up on secretary blinken, you probably just heard him. he said he never faced a moment as urgent and challenging as the one we face today. he's talking about the vast effect of the humanitarian crisis, and he actually far it firsthand. he visited a refugee center in poland yesterday. what did you see? >> yeah, he visited the refugee center where we were yesterday. we watch as he, arrived as he went inside. and when he went into the main building, at that welcome center, yesterday, you will see what he saw. thousands of people stranded.

there were 2000 cops in that building, most of the carts, when we walked around and looked at them, had multiple people sitting on them. sometimes it looked like people were rotating out when one member of their family slapped versus when the other one dead. you would've seen thousands of people waiting in line. and then loading up very quickly there, to get on the bus and go into other cities in poland or to other countries like germany, czech republic. he also, i believe, spoke with a number of refugees. there and you would've heard stories like we heard. stories of resilience, stories of heartbreak. stories of uncertainty. stories like -- who is a woman who's in her 60s. and she fled ukraine all by herself. listen. >> i had to take all my life in these beds. this is all my life. this is heartbreaking.

it's not because i love things, but it's just, it's 68 years of my life. >> her name, by the way, lube of, it means love in ukrainian. they mentioned the amount of people who are trained to stay inside of ukraine, they are internally displaced but they are trying to wait it out. as we're here, this refugee welcome center, if you're well. you can see all the tents. they are heated and people are able to sit and cots, have food, stay inside, get warm. but we spoke in some people here today who told us that they have left now because they were trying to really wait until the very last minute. they did not want to go. but as they talk to their family members, friends outside of ukraine. they convince them to take their children and comes somewhere safe, to poland until they can go back. there is a lot of food here, a lot of help. the government in poland,

they've organized most of this. but a lot of what we'll see is loosely organized volunteer groups helping people out. the polish government has how fast people, if you want to help, don't just send food, or water, or supplies. because they have a lot of these. this is one of our friends we've been playing soccer with that morning. they say, don't just rush and send things in to try and find organize grooves, and send money that way. because they are trying at this point not just to have an immediate influx of things, but haven't organize approach four of where things go from here. a lot of families here, a lot of mothers, a lot of children. all of them desperately hoping they can go home, and consume. >> and amid that desperation it is joyful to see a child who is smiling and having a little fun. i let you go back and play a little more soccer, alison, thank you so much for all you're doing there. >> we want to talk a lot more about this so we are joined --

by, a spokesperson from the un commissioner for refugees. thank you for joining us. that's in my kind of a rare scene for me, to see a child who was playing with a soccer ball and actually the smiling. but the faces of desperation. are everywhere. the latest we've gotten here is one i have million refugees, it's growing. some aid organizations are anything there at the breaking point. tell us where you we >> are in this crisis right now. indeed. it is a sad tragedy like any other war, this is another edition in terms of its sense listeners. and this is why we have been calling that its effects on individuals and as we saw, women and children being affected. many, many more sadly, as you mentioned. i can confirm that the number of refugees that have left ukraine has crossed 1.5 million. we have seen in the past two days more than 100,000 arriving

in the neighboring countries. many, many of them are arriving in poland. but also, to countries like moldova, hungary, slovakia and others. and indeed, people in these desperate site times need support and we're encouraged to see the outpouring of support in neighboring countries. in times like these, we see the worst of humanity, but also, we see the best of humanity as well. people come together to assist. it is overwhelming. and sadly, we will see more refugees arriving in the neighboring countries, that's why my agency, u.n.c. our, un refugee agency, is working with the governments. our head of the agency, the high-end high commissioner is in their region visiting romania, moldova and poland.

in terms of trying to see how we can assist. we are ready. we have already moved stuff and supplies. but more needs to be done and very quickly. >> in germany, for example, to accommodate arrivals from ukraine, authorities have reopened refugee shelters that we use in 2015, at the height of the syrian war. i wonder if knowing that potentially two or 3 million or more refugees may still be coming, do you feel confident that these countries may be able to get ahead of this? and what is the un's role as you try to prepare for an influx that is going to continue for days and weeks, potentially months? >> first, our plea is for this war to stop. so that people get responded. desperate people. we still don't know how many people are on the move inside ukraine, because everyone is trying to run for safety.

and you mentioned 2015. i was based in -- i was on many of those points where we were receiving desperate refugees. a similar time, but the response was similar. in terms of outpouring of support from commoners, who would come and support. we hoped we would not reach another sad milestone. the way the numbers are moving, we had earlier an estimated 4 million refugees go into the region. -- being displaced inside ukraine itself. we hoped we would not reach those sad milestones to report every day. but the way it seems more and more people will need to seek safety in the region and inside ukraine. >> mr. baloch, thank you so much. we appreciate the work you're

doing and all the folks under the extremely difficult circumstances. we appreciate you taking the. type meantime, americans are among those volunteered to support the fight in ukraine. inside the push to land humanitarian aid and some even willing to take up arms against russian forces.

>> breaking within the last hour. the un increasing the estimate

of ukrainian refugees to one and a half million people. an invasion that is nearly two weeks old. that makes it the fastest refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. as you conditions deteriorate in ukraine, more and more ukrainian men artifact signing up to defend their homeland. we just got in this new video overnight. dozens of men, lining up in kyiv to sign up to fight. one of them saying quote, it's my duty. i want to help. i want my family to return to ukraine as soon as possible. but i will do my best. to help ukrainian forces, president zelenskyy and his government put out a global coal, inviting foreigners to come help them quote, fight for freedom. the government says they already had 16,000 people sign up. and now, some u.s. veterans are weighing how they can help as well. joining me now, david -- a former army officer who's organizing help to sent to ukraine. let's start with the baseline.

okay, explain for us exactly what you and some other veterans are signing up to do to help? >> what we're doing right now is has been an absolute grassroots moon with movement. it's something that we could go none of us knew each other. and we have all come together and said, hey, what do you have? what can you chip in? -- we've got individuals from around the world, from all walks of life, that are donating. we've got businessmen julie donating airline miles to help folks with transport. we've got veterans say i have uniforms, who can i send them to. even had somebody who reached out, just general generous financial support. we've been able to provide mental health care services and get these things into the hands of people who need. them >> i also know, and this

has been reported over the last 24 hours or so, that there are americans, veterans, who are saying i'm going to go and i'm going to help the ukrainians fight. talk about the legal issues around that and what you have been hearing? and some of the folks who have called you and are talking about that? >> sure, for that one -- apply. this is a law that prevents the united states soldiers, or citizens, from enlisting on in foreign militaries on u.s. soil. many of them have been traveling to europe in order to avoid legal conflicts with that. they travel to other countries and from that point, then are able to join the conflict and a military sense, without triggering those clauses. >> so, the u.s. army, u.s. military veterans, going over with the express purpose of joining to fight side by side with ukrainians.

look, a week ago, you are selling houses. i'm sure that these other veterans who have decided to go over there and risk their own lives, they had their lives. they may even have their families. what is it about this conflict that has been so compelling to so many people? >> i think one of the unique things with this is the way that this conflict has been so publicly accessible. while sitting at home in your living room, you're able to interact, not just watch these things unfold on the news, actually interact with the people there through very social media platforms. platform such as snapchat, tiktok, facebook, all these messaging groups, are lined people like myself, who are otherwise starting out watching the conflict to organize. to see these images of destruction. and then talk to the people and say, what do you need for help? okay, cool. find somebody with that and find a way to get it there.

-- a week ago we didn't know each other. now we have enabled this global logistic structure, where we have supply coming from north and south america. all over europe, the middle east, even africa, that started flowing to these countries to get people in need. >> i mean, that's exactly what we heard from the president of moldova. they need more help. we just heard it from that representative from the un high commissioner for refugees. we know how -- it is one thing to donate money or airline miles. is some of her to get on a plane, fly to europe, volunteer say in poland, and then another thing altogether to say, i'm going to make my way in country and i'm going to fight. and i wonder, as you talk to some of these folks, what they are telling you about why? why would you put the your life on the line? >> sure. the more i learned about what's actually taking place over there, the more it just motivates me to help. the bravery of that american

veterans, the volunteers and most importantly, the ukrainian people, has exceeded anything i thought was even humanly possible. at the same time, on the counter side of that, just watching these images of the civilians being specifically attacked and targeted. that's something that just fires everybody up with a steely eyed pride that this is the right thing to do. every morning, you've got to wake up and help people. >> i mean, we're all looking at the video of ukrainians trying to keep a military vehicle back, just using their bare hands. let me ask you, finally, do you have a sense of how many people were talking about here in terms of the u.s. veterans who are willing to go over and fight? is it a small handful? is it something that is going? >> for personal and operational security, we can't tell you about actual numbers. but i can say is that every single veteran has emotional investment in this. every single veteran that i've talked to, regardless of their

branch, the time that they served, or their job, has had a unified desire desire to help. some of them financially, some of them as far as volunteering their time and efforts. and many of them are just want to go for their pick up a rifle and fight. one of the old sayings is that you can take the guy out of the army, but you can't take the army out of the guy. and my bags have been packed since i got in 2017. i've been sitting there saying, how can i help? and i think that is something that a lot of veterans can relate to. >> are you think about going over? [laughs] >> every day. to me, that's where the greatest need is. so, i'm currently still here and this is my role. is something that i've identified. but there's part of me that says, i just want to grab a rifle and go. >> david ribardo, volunteers for ukraine. thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us this. morning stay safe. up next, the u.s. is ratcheting

up the financial pressure on russia, taking aim at that countries ultrarich. our next guest says sanctioning the oligarchs has already turned up that heat on putin.

>> some of vladimir putin the biggest allies, rich russian or low guard, continues this weekend. check this new video out from italy. it shows authorities taking a 150 million dollar yacht. one of many seized by various countries imposing sanctions, and it's not just luxury office. villas that belong to some of russia's richest people are being taken as well. here in the u.s., a special task force is just in recent days starting to coordinate the efforts of federal agencies to enforce those sweeping economic measures. joining me now is -- author of capital without borders. wealth management and the 1%. and katie benner, msnbc contributor covers justice

department for the new york times. good to have both of you. here in a new place for the atlantic, you are this. the evidence is overwhelming that beyond ups assistance level, people will fight even murder status than they do for money. we see that fight now in the anti-war comments and peacemaking efforts of russia's elites, after just a few days of sanctions pressure. you've studied the ultrarich for years. our -- tell us a little bit more about what you see in the reaction of oligarchs? not just in terms of seizing their property, but in the coming price? rice >> well, the sanctions have taken away most of what makes being an oligarch worthwhile. there really is no point in being and all the guard if you're going to look to your country's wealth you, need to show it off. and yachts are the way oligarchs conspicuously me vest their status payments for being

compliant and supportive of the putin regime. take that away, and what's in it for them to support putin anymore? and that's why as soon as sanctions were announced, oligarchs were very publicly and very unusually speaking out against putin. that almost never happens. were you surprised to see that? it came pretty quickly and there are consequences. there can be consequences. have they made a bet that putin is not going to touch them? i mean we know how he feels about people who do not tell the mark with support for him? >> i don't imagine that they are thinking that putin won't touch them. it is hard to speak for oligarchs, but i imagine if they are taking this enormous risk to speak out against him publicly, the calculus might be more like, well, we might lose

everything for doing this, but we might light lose everything if we do not stop him. >> that is kind of the compelling stuff, right? we see countries like france, taking the wealth, the symbols of wealth. it's hard for almost anybody who doesn't travel in those circles to understand what it means to be ultra wealthy. and how this might impact them. but then, attorney general announced this new tax for saying, we're gonna leave no stone unturned in the efforts to investigate, and prosecute those criminal acts. and enable the russian government to continue this. talk about what this task force's task to do. with a help to accomplish? >> sure. everything you and broke even thinking about his coming down to enforcement. there've been a couple of high-profile seizures of property that have happened.

but i think people need to understand that the sanctions that were announced after russia invaded ukraine have peaked. so -- the within several agencies in the united states, including the irs and others, who are tracking down people who violated any of the new sanctions that were announced. basically, in order to crack down on russia's unprovoked attack on ukraine. so whether it is somebody who is violating sanctions by doing this, and certain things that have been sanctioned. anybody who is violating sanctions abiding by certain accepts that candle longer being but. and aiding and abetting business dealings that even -- illegally selling security technology to russia, all those people could be charged. so not only could they be or have the acid sees, they could also be tried for criminal investigation. >> you know, it's a worthless pursue to try to figure out what vladimir putin might be

thinking. but there is a school of thought that he has influenced by no one. that what is happening on the outside, even some of his closest allies, these oligarchs, it doesn't matter to him. but do you think that there is any way they can put pressure on him? >> i think the idea is that we have the groups that come in -- oh. >> >> sorry brooke, go ahead. >> are you sure? i'm sorry to interrupt you. i see three pieces of evidence that the sanctions are effective in reaching putin. point number one, is if you remember the panama papers from 2016, there were approximately two billion u.s. dollars worth of -- in offshore accounts that could be traced directly to lifelong friends and foes of putin. so one of the things he's oligarchs are doing is holding putin's personal wealth in their names offshore.

so when that wealth is sanctioned, it's not so much that all the guards who are being punished, it is putin directly. the second thing is, alexei navalny, who probably knows more about russian corruption than anybody else alive, and has gone to prison to try to deal with the corruption in russia, he published a statement a year ago saying if you really want to stop what's putin's doing, here is a list of 35 oligarchy must sanction. and they all have what overseas. so right now, the names of those have been read out in the british parliament, and some of them are actually being sanctioned right now by the eu or the uk or the u.s.. >> brock i'm afraid i'm gonna have to ask you to come back to give your point. we are out of time. but this is fascinating. and we could talk about it for the hour. brooke, katie, appreciate you forgetting up with us early. thank you. coming up.

>> are you going to pay more for gas if it meant more restrictions on russia? >> it's a question many of us could be facing as western allies are banning imports of russian oil. we'll tell you at the people we talked to her say. o her say.

>> right now, gas prices are or -- are soaring due to record highs. it's gone up every day since russia's invasion.

ukrainian president zelenskyy is urging the u.s. and its allies to stop importing russian oil. but are americans willing to pay higher prices in support of ukraine? nbc's -- has more. >> at the stations across the country, prices are shooting up higher and faster than they have in more than a decade. breaking records in california. $5, $6, premium as high as a jaw dropping $7.55. >> sticker shock. [laughs] wonder what's next. you know? if it's going to be $7 now, is going to be $9 pretty soon. >> the national average now hovering just under $4 a gallon. despite part of a global ripple effect stemming from war, with the price height every single day since russian forces invading ukraine, up until a total of 30 cents in the u.s.. expected to go even higher as energy giants turned their backs on russian oil. how much higher can prices go? >> i think is certainly within

the possibility that very quickly within the next 72 hours we can see the national average braking's all-time record high. >> so far, you are sanctions have carefully avoided directly targeting russian crude oil exports, during a global energy crunch. but in washington, there are calls for a full embargo, backed by recent poll. they found 80% of americans support an all out ban on buying russian oil. >> are you willing to pay more for gas if it meant more restrictions on russia? >> personally, yes. i probably would, honestly. it's -- a feel like it's just a little price i need to pay. >> i would rather support the ukraine in whatever we can. if that means gas prices hike up, i would pay it. >> experts say, whatever the outcome, expect to see higher prices well beyond the pump. >> anything that touches a truck, commerce, deliveries, groceries, lumber, going to the store. anything that is being shipped via semi truck is eventually going to get hit. >> that