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Transcript/ScriptUS UKRAINE RUSSIA - Feb 28 (TV)
HEADLINE: Russians Encircle Kyiv as Peace Talks Yield Few Results
TEASER: More than half a million Ukrainians have fled the country as crisis escalates
PUBLISHED AT: 2/28/2022 at 10:57 pm
BYLINE: Katherine Gypson
CONTRIBUTING: Rafael Saakov
PRODUCERS: Katherine Gypson,
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Holly Franko
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, AP
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 4:24
VID APPROVED BY: wpm
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, continued to stand Monday as Ukrainians entered a fifth day of fierce fighting against the unprovoked Russian invasion. As VOA's congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, international pressure is increasing on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops.]]
((NARRATOR))
Russia stepping up the bombardment of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities …
((nats of sirens War Sirens))
… just hours after talks concluded between the two countries in Belarus — with no clear sign forward for peace but an agreement to continue talking.
((Ned Price, State Department Spokesperson))
“Diplomacy at the barrel of a gun, diplomacy at the turret of a tank — that is not real diplomacy. We are ready and willing, just as our Ukrainian partners are, just as our European allies are, to engage in real, in substantive, in genuine diplomacy in order to see if we can find a way out of what is a needless brutal conflict, but that diplomacy is highly unlikely to bear fruit, to prove effective, in the midst of not only confrontation but escalation.”
((nats Ukraine Tank))
((NARRATOR))
Ukrainians have resisted the much stronger Russian military up until now. The Kremlin has now committed seventy-five percent of the troops built up at the border in recent months. And while Putin has so far failed to capture any major cities, the Pentagon warned Monday that could change.
((John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary))
“You've got to hand it to the Ukrainians, who have been fighting very hard for their country and making an impact, and making a dent, on Mr. Putin's abilities. But they will learn — the Russians will learn from this.”
((NARRATOR))
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the U.S. and allies to consider a no-fly zone over Ukraine – a move the former Ukrainian prime minister told VOA was needed.
((Oleksiy Honcharuk, Former Prime Minister of Ukraine))
“What we really need today is to be protected from the air in the sense of simply shooting down missiles that fly on us from Russia, not allowing Russian fighter planes to enter the airspace. Just keep us from being destroyed from the air.”
((NARRATOR))
The Pentagon said there were no plans to enforce a no-fly zone, but the U.S. and allies did take several unprecedented steps over the weekend to cut off Russia from global financial services. Top congressional Republicans say those actions from the White House came too late.
((Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader))
“This weekend, the administration rushed to announce another 350 million in military assistance for which weapons? On what timeline? And how will the weapons reach the brave Ukrainians who've lost ground? So Congress must use its oversight tools to ensure we're providing Ukraine the weapons it needs as quickly as possible. The same goes for helping to shore up our NATO allies' defenses along the eastern flank.”
((NARRATOR))
And while President Biden has repeatedly promised that the United States will not commit ground troops to the conflict, the White House said Monday there were still options for punishing Putin, including financial.
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
“We always have more we can do. But I would say that what we're seeing in terms of the impact on the financial markets in Russia is, and I outlined some of the impacts, of course, on the ruble, on inflation, on central bank lending there in Russia, all of these steps squeeze not just President Putin but to squeeze the people around him and have a huge devastating impact on the economy, and they are more significant.”
((NARRATOR))
But the cost of the war is already sweeping across Europe — the United Nations announcing more than 520,000 Ukrainians had fled the country in just the five days since the Russian invasion began.
((Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees))
“I have rarely seen such an incredibly fast-rising exodus of people, the largest in Europe since the Balkan War.”
((NARRATOR))
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced an additional $54 million in aid Sunday to address the humanitarian crisis.
((Katherine Gypson, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington D.C.
Embargo DateMarch 1, 2022 00:04 EST
BylineKatherine Gypson
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
