troops from belarus, as well. so, a combined, um, force of russian and belarusian troops have apparently attacked, according to the border forces of this country, those border at post that control the northern border of the country. that is obviously massively significant because it is not just russia, it seems, according to this statement, that is involved in this assault on ukraine but it may, also, be if this is accurate and this is what the border forces in this country say, it may be belarus that has also joined with its ally in russia to take part in this assault -- this attack on -- on ukraine. it is also significant for another reason, as well. which is, that that northern border with ukraine and belarus is not far from here. it is a very short distance from kyiv. and of course, over the past couple of weeks, there have been extremely big-joint military exercises between the russians and the belarusians inside belarus. now, our fred pleitgen actually went there to see those military drills take place betwe

this is kyiv, talked about the truce talks happening in belarus. so this is if i were able to this is your border now between belarus and northern ukraine and russia is off to the east. this pretty much follows the pattern that the pentagon has been talking about for a few days. a two-pronged approach coming from the north, northwest and northeast of kyiv and that would be the status of the capital city. >> harris: may i quick ask a question? i had my hand in the air like a school kid. how far is that from that line that you drew until the end of the arrow? i'm trying to get an idea how far they've come not just in terms of what they've done but how far? >> this is in belarus golum where the peace talks are happening. this is the border. about 90 miles. this is about 160 miles. >> harris: okay. >> bill: ukrainian officials went there by helicopter based on the pictures i saw earlier. this is in the south. you know crimea was taken by the russians in 2014 and they've held it for eight years. an irrigation canall you can see right here where the tank

referendum in belarus. so baller was, is the static also own fate and by it path forward. but present lucas shameka and biller from said has already confirmed. they're also ready for the stocks. all right, natalie, as well and favorite in moscow. thanks so much for them. thinking as we've heard, belarus is holding a constitutional referendum that asked voters to extend the term of its full force, her leader, alexander lucas shinkel. it would also see better us as neutral status removed, allowing the country to host russian forces and nuclear weapons on a permanent basis. the referendum has been widely condemned by the opposition and international observers. the threat to better assist sovereignty. now, in a major shift and foreign policy and germany has agreed to support ukraine with weapons as it resists russia's invading forces. berlin backtracked on a long running ban on weapons exports to war zones, and says it will now send anti tank weapons and missiles. the policy shift brings germany into line with

, is that road via belarus. it's a road that's been upgraded in the past couple years to actually encourage trade between ukraine and belarus. so it's a very good road, an easy one to travel. i think that's going to cause a lot of people a lot of concern, michael. >> yeah, yeah. not too far to kyiv, the capital. fred pleitgen, nick paton walsh, jill dougherty, atika schubert, kevin liptak, our thanks to all of you. we will be checking back with you shortly. >>> meanwhile, stay with us here on cnn. we have much more ahead on the major breaking news. russia's attack on ukraine and the world's response. we'll be right back. at liberty butchemel... cut. liberty mu... line? cut. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what youou need. cut. liberty m.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. â

that's basically annexing belarus. belarus is bordering poland. that means you are looking eye to eye with nato states as well as the baltic states up here. you can see the areas where they are fighting for, this is kharkiv, that we heard so much about, the second largest city in ukraine. 2 million people. we were worried that would fall. but the tenacity of the ukrainian military holding out in kharkiv. and down here in odessa. should putin get control of that, he would have a large swath and that would be strategically difficult for the ukrainians. you can see it's all about kyiv. we have been waiting for a big push of russian troops. a large part of the russian military up here, just about roughly 30 kilometers north of kyiv. when that push comes that will be very difficult for the city and the capital of kyiv. that where we are very worried we'll see the same urban violent bloody street fighting that we saw in kharkiv. one last thing, if i can, that is the concern of the south. this is the city in the southern part. crimea already annexed. tha

belarus saying they are going to help russia. we will see how that transpires with that "fox & friends" begins right now. [siren] >> carley: ukrainian delegation has just arrived on the belarus border. >> the main goal of those talks on ukraine's side would be an immediate cease-fire. >> ukrainians holding onto the capital city and fighting for their lives. >> this is our country, our choice, our freedom. >> new video appearing to show ukrainian drone taking out a russian missile system. >> we are fighting and we are becoming stronger and stronger from day to day. >> fallout is hitting russia's economy very hard. >> the ryu bell is under absolute pressure falling 30%.

nato says it's the biggest deployment of russian troops in belarus since the cold war. at least 10,000 russian soldiers within easy reach of ukraine. but both moscow and minsk deny they are threatening anyone. translation: our country isn't | helping russia to capture ukraine. and russia doesn't want to capture ukraine. we don't need war in belarus or in russia. we've had enough war. we still remember world war ii. russia insists that these exercises are purely defensive. ukraine says this is psychological pressure, at the very least, and at most, well, there is concern in kyiv and in the west that if there is a full—scale attack on ukraine then russian troops in belarus could be part of that. america seems to think so... for months now, russia has been building up its military forces in and around ukraine. including in belarus. they're uncoiling and are now poised to strike. meanwhile, in moscow... "you may begin," vladimir putin told army chiefs, and they began... the president oversaw drills by russia's strategic nuclearforces, showing off his country's state—ofâ

they're happening right on the border in belarus but on the border with belarus and ukraine. president zelenskyy declining to meet in the capital minsk because belarus has not just been hosting russian forces but there are indications that belarus may be joining these russian forces. president zelenskyy saying he does not have much hopes for these talks. but they are going into these conversations with the russians demanding immediate withdrawal of forces and immediate cease-fire. the russians not saying what their main goal is. brianna, it is clear that russia is not where i wants to be right now. remember, there were predictions the russians could take the capital city in 24 to 48 hours. we have strong evidence of this stiff resistance that the ukrainians are putting up. first to the east of here, and the second biggest city kharkiv near the russian border. we have seen fierce fighting in the streets. ukrainian forces literally pushing back russian troops. you can see in the video russian vehicles and troops literally going backwards. and ukrainian forces firing round after

on the belarus border, belarus entering the fray on behalf of the russians. we come of course we'll keep you posted throughout the show in the course of the day right here on fox news channel. here at home president biden's popularity slipping even further to 37% as russia's war on ukraine with a new dangerous face. >> carley: joe concha to break it down and typing into the numbers a little bit further. you see the democrats gave biden 7017% approval. a low score for your own party. >> it is and the last president trump in the 90% range in terms of party approval. when you dig deep in the presence numbers it gets worse for president biden. he is 30% approval among independent spirit here is what is most disturbing concerning talking about the leader of the free world. joe biden is 14 points underwater on americans believing he has the mental sharpness to serve effectively. just 40% believe he has the mental sharpness to do the job, 54 percent do not. that is an impression that is very difficult to reverse. it will lead to a red tsunami in november midterms wi

belarus still maintained its own border control. but what we're seeing now, the troop build—up is so massive that, basically, it changes the situation in belarus quite dramatically — especially if we see that the troops remain. and then the question is, and will be posed, whether is belarus is still a sovereign country? so getting back to the question of whether nato�*s got it right, i just wonder when you say things like "the battle "for ukraine is going to be basically a battle for europe," whether you think nato ruling out sending fighting troops to ukraine itself is the right strategy? well, i think that ukraine has all the potential to defend its country, its territory. i don't think that the country has enough time and resources currently to arm itself. therefore, this is the main point that we need to cover. and as you've mentioned, lithuania and other baltic states, we're doing our part and we know that we cannot do a lot, but maybe we're sending the right signal to other partners in the west what should be done. right

from the black sea, to belarus, holding drills dangerously close to the border with ukraine. the elaborate and choreographed show of power comes amid two days of intense and sustained shelling from russian-backed separatists in eastern ukraine. for ukrainian forces here on the frontlines, they have been locked in a battle with russia for years, but they have seen a huge up-tempo in shelling in recent days, like nothing they have seen for years. the low-intensity fighting has now become a flashpoint, setting the stage for wider conflict. russian separatists have claimed that ukraine is planning a large military offensive in the area and have ordered the evacuation of women, children and the elderly to russian territory, they say for their own safety. residents, turned as refugees, now used as weapons in a prop -- propaganda war. now the extension of these military drills in belarus add to the anxiety that an invasion might be looming. >> charlie d'agata in kyiv for us. thank you. >>> to britain now where tonight 895-year-old queen elizabeth is in isolation after testing positi

and since then belarus has been beholden to putin so he has now a satellite country in belarus, which he got without toppling the government by supporting the government and now that government is allowing russian troops there probably for as long as vladimir putin wants to keep them there. ukraine is a very different situation. it was exactly eight years ago tomorrow on the 22nd that their pro-russian dictator, president, was overthrown by a popular uprising and put a government in place that has been a constant source of trouble and annoyance for vladimir putin ever since. >> richard engel, i know i've got to let you go. thank you for your reporting there. stay safe as whatever happens next starts to unfold. keir simmons, i've got you in moscow now. we watched some of this extraordinary meeting of vladimir putin and some of his visors today appearing to set the stage of whatever decisions he might make of these breakaway stages of ukraine. what can you tell us about the meeting and what you expect him to say tonight. >> it's really important to differentiate between what we know and

as russia forces have flooded in to belarus. as russian forces have staged inside what should be sovereign belarusian territory to undertake premeditated, unjustified, unprotphoebgd attack and invasion dunn dunn unprovoked attack and invasion of a third country. all the while the regime continues to brutally repress the democratic aspirations of the people of belarus. it has as i said before become increasingly subservient to russia. demonstrating again president luka kh*epbgo's willingness -- lukashenko's willingness to act against the interest of his own people in order to curry favor with moscow and to stay in power. as a result of the regime's indefensible support for and even facilitation of what we are seeing the russians do in ukraine, we are imposing sanctions. we have imposed sanctions on some two dozen belarusian individuals and entities. these actions focus on belarus' defense and related material and finance sectors. two fields that are closely tied to russia. reporter: do you think they'll escalate their participati

on the belarus side, this comes as we're reporting this morning that belarus is prepared to join the invasion into ukraine alongside russia. that's according to ukrainian intelligence reported by our jake tapper. we're also told that the white house is watching what belarus does here incredibly closely. we have already seen the biden administration slap sanctions on belarus. they say they're prepared to slap even greater prices on belarus if they continue to get intimately involved in this crisis. john? >> kylie atwood at the state department, please keep us posted. you see the path of the russian invasion into ukraine on all these various fronts. there's been this concerted push from belarus and elsewhere toward the ukrainian capital of kyiv. with our own eyes, cnn has seen ukrainians pushing that attack back. matthew chance is there. let us show you what he saw moments ago. >> reporter: stand by. stand by. i was listening to what the admirable was saying, john, about the soviet-era military equipment and how well it might perform. here you go. right within the past few hours there

belarus still maintained its own border control. but what we're seeing now, the troop build—up is so massive that, basically, it changes the situation in belarus quite dramatically, especially if we see that the troops remain. and then the question is, and will be posed, whether belarus is still a sovereign country? so getting back to the question of whether nato�*s got it right. i just wonder when you say things like "the battle "for ukraine is going to be basically a battle for europe," whether you think nato ruling out sending fighting troops to ukraine itself is the right strategy? well, i think that ukraine has all the potential to defend its country, its territory. i don't think that the country has enough time and resources currently to arm itself. therefore, this is the main point that we need to cover. and as you've mentioned, lithuania and other baltic states, we're doing our part and we know that we cannot do a lot, but maybe we're sending the right signal to other partners in the west what should be done. right. but

belarus still maintained its own border control. but what we're seeing now, the troop build—up is so massive that, basically, it changes the situation in belarus quite dramatically, especially if we see that the troops remain. and then the question is, and will be posed, whether belarus is still a sovereign country? so getting back to the question of whether nato�*s got it right. i just wonder when you say things like "the battle for ukraine "is going to be basically a battle for europe," whether you think nato ruling out sending fighting troops to ukraine itself is the right strategy? well, i think that ukraine has all the potential to defend its country, its territory. i don't think that the country has enough time and resources currently to arm itself. therefore, this is the main point that we need to cover. and as you've mentioned, lithuania and other baltic states, we're doing our part and we know that we cannot do a lot, but maybe we're sending the right signal to other partners in the west what should be done. right. but

belarus still maintained its own border control. but what we're seeing now, the troop build—up is so massive that, basically, it changes the situation in belarus quite dramatically, especially if we see that the troops remain. and then the question is, and will be posed, whether belarus is still a sovereign country? so getting back to the question of whether nato's got it right. i just wonder when you say things like "the battle for ukraine "is going to be basically a battle for europe," whether you think nato ruling out sending fighting troops to ukraine itself is the right strategy? well, i think that ukraine has all the potential to defend its country, its territory. i don't think that the country has enough time and resources currently to arm itself. therefore, this is the main point that we need to cover. and as you've mentioned, lithuania and other baltic states, we're doing our part and we know that we cannot do a lot, but maybe we're sending the right signal to other partners in the west what should be done. right. but if

some troops have been set to belarus. in 9427 years ago russia alleged "madam president, it would be -- this is a challenge to the european order. ukraine you -- ukraine repeatedly -- what can justify the loss of thousands of lives? severe stipulations, tensions, including what has been made repeatedly clear. severe consequences. no other place knows more about war and its disastrous consequences in this room. we must be able to see beyond and seek other means to who they are and who they seem to be. finding solutions for negotiations in 2020. it remains now in the council. there are several mechanisms to be used for diplomatic efforts. such efforts should be used to create -- we hope this process will continue. madam president, we all should keep in mind the crisis surrounding ukraine has an impact on the whole europe. targeted attacks. political interference here and there for political gains and a growing tendency of genocide denial i hope this meeting will be part of such efforts and i thank you. >> i think the repres

those talks happening near the city of gomel up here in belarus. we are waiting for a reporting of what's going on in those talks. ukraine is demanding an immediate cease-fire. meanwhile, over the last several hours, we have heard reports of russian forces being turned back, blocked by the ukrainians, and the port city of mykalayiv, kharkiv up here. the russian assault continues. we have seen satellite images of large convoys of troops and materiel headed toward kharkiv. this is happening not far from kyiv about 20 miles away. let me see if i can show you here. this is up here in the city 20, 30 miles north of kyiv heading toward the city. right now a great deal of focus on the city of kyiv. right here, you can see again, with troops moving toward it, we're going to have a live report from the ground there in just a minute. cnn's special live coverage continues right after this. cien. kitchen? sorted. hot tub, why not? and of course, puppy-friendlyly. we don't like to say perfect, but it's prettyty perfect. booking.com, booking.yeah. (vo) jamaica.

nato says it's the biggest deployment of russian troops in belarus since the cold war. at least 10,000 russian soldiers within easy reach of ukraine. but both moscow and minsk deny they are threatening anyone. translation: our country isn't helping russia - to capture ukraine. and russia doesn't want to capture ukraine. we don't need war in belarus or in russia. we've had enough war. we still remember world war ii. russia insists that these exercises are purely defensive. ukraine says this is psychological pressure, at the very least, and at most, well, there is concern in kyiv and in the west that if there is a full—scale attack on ukraine then russian troops in belarus could be part of that. america seems to think so... for months now, russia has been building up its military forces in and around ukraine. including in belarus. they're uncoiling and are now poised to strike. meanwhile, in moscow... "you may begin," vladimir putin told army chiefs, and they began... the president oversaw drills by russia's strategic nuclearforces, showing off his country's state—ofâ

tom: i am fascinated about your reporting on if belarus enters this more. i feel like i am talking out of the history books of 1945. what happens if belarus attacks? >> this is the key country to look out for. vladimir putin lied through his teeth when he said i have no intention of a full invasion from belarus. if you look at the map, this is a country that is connected to poland. for the polish this means it could be surrounded by a country that is in a war with russia and a country that would become a puppet state for vladimir putin. we are talking about potentially nuclear weapons. for the europeans, that would be a real escalation moving away from ukraine and into poland. lisa: talking about the escalation we have seen on both sides, we are looking for additional sanctions from the white house. maria: first -- >> what we had was they were going to try to protect the oil sector but we heard from jen psaki on abc this weekend saying energy is on the table and she said it twice. what the administration was trying to do was have enough impact on president

>> reporter: belarus and moscow say all russians will leave belarus when the exercises are finished, u.s. and nato says they're sceptical and they'll believe withdrawal happening when they see it. biden administration says now more than 150,000 russian troops near ukraine's borders and that an attack will probably happen within days. lukashenko ripping into the u.s. assessment. >> you accuse belarus and russia that we would invade ukraine yesterday, we didn't. so your intelligence and billions of dollars you're spending on it are useless, at least admit this. >> reporter: russia says it has no intention of attacking ukraine but today also warned security demands it made to the u.s., if not met, will be an answer, as moscow puts it, military technical measures. and erin, while both russians and belarusians say they will be leaving after the exercises, there is a caveat there, when asked how long it will take, he said could take a couple days, a month, could take longer, essentially saying belarus would be willing to host russian troops as long as vladimir putin wants and that is of co

we've just heard this announcement of the russian delegation in belarus. the kremlin says it's offering talks with, with ukraine. can you tell us more about this development? yes, just about an hour ago they've been, they've been information about from their russian, the kremlin press secretaries to give it to be scoffed. who announced that a russian delegation has already arrived to better was to see, to have gorman, which associated close to the border with the ukraine into the border with russia in there already. there are 2 whole talks with the ukranian side here has been this back and forth. what comes to negotiations? because on friday, a russia, supposedly after the suggestion of ukraine to discuss the neutral status of the country. i suggested belarus as the and the place hope this negotiations and they say they even stopped this military operation for a couple of hours while waiting for the response from ukraine. and what came then was a suggestion to hold talk somewhere else. and. and after that, the rashly resumed its attack. and now we heard th

jon: what about belarus. all under cases are belarus may join russia in its invasion of ukraine. can we expect the same kinds of sanctions against pell russ? i don't know that much about the economy of that country. would it be effective? >> it would be effective. but let's consider them already to have been a proxy state of russia. so it was already operating pretty well puppet strings. and we could have expected this to come. it was not neutral grounds for zelensky to meet on. let's seat where they meet. geographically it's to the north of kyiv. so that's another age the of attack for russia to use about it was to be expected. jon: the u.s. promised military aid to the ukrainians. how quickly can it get there. >> it can get there instantly. but when it comes to military support and surface-to-air missiles, you are gas to surface *, we need to make sure they have what they need. we need to give them what they need for their freedom fighters. it's so impressive to see the president in place actually fighting, leading the troops and the citizens and their willingness to stand up.

the republic of belarus sincerely wants a swift settlement of the regional crisis. purely on the basis of dialogue and mutual respect. thank you. >> i think the representative of belarus and i give the floor to the representative of poland. >> madam president, secretary-general, excellencies, poland is grateful for continuing today's meeting on the security council and we are increasingly concerned russia is continued military buildup. including the troops, positioning of military hardware. we cannot keep quiet because uiwhat is happening in our neighborhood constitutes a serious threat of international peaceon and security reaching fr beyond our region and continent. the current security situation of eastern europe unfortunately follows a pattern of precedents with the russian federation being the actor in the region and the annexation of the crimean peninsula. as we speak, the conflict in eastern ukraine and in the valley and the region of moldova is a result of undermining the stability and the security of this part ofit the world. madam president, we cannot keep

nato says it's the biggest deployment of russian troops in belarus since the cold war. at least 10,000 russian soldiers within easy reach of ukraine. but both moscow and minsk deny they're threatening anyone. translation: our country isn't. helping russia to capture ukraine and russia doesn't want to capture ukraine. we don't need war in belarus or in russia. we've had enough war. we still remember world war ii. russia insists that these exercises are purely defensive. ukraine says this is psychological pressure at the very least, and the and at most, there is concern in kyiv and in the west that if there is a full—scale attack on ukraine, then russian troops in belarus could be part of that. america seems to think so. for months now russia has been building up its military forces in and around ukraine, including in belarus. they are uncoiling and are now poised to strike. meanwhile, in moscow. "you may begin," vladimir putin told army chiefs. and they began. the president oversaw drills by russia's strategic nuclear forces, showing off his country's state—of—theâ

due north of it would be belarus which is an independent republic. if you are leaving kyiv right now you can go east, that is where the danger is, you can't go north of the dangerous. you are indicating that they're probably going west closer to leave. or polish influence on that side. very close to nato country. >> yeah exactly, there's combat units in 110 are on the east in the north. we can expect a relatively unopposed advanced by the russians to circle cave. i don't think they'll be street to street fighting. jan mothers and young people, thank you 47 are action in a try and stand up to russian armor. the poor ukrainians have 125 combat aircraft. they will be eliminated before the assault begins. some of those ukrainians may go into belarus. they are already in the appeal of putin. very soft beginning to this whole assault. big battle is coming. it's in the east to eliminate the ukrainian armed forces in the line of contact. >> general, thank you for analysis. it's gonna become very important as you watch this unfold. i want to go to andrea mitc

do you believe that putin effectively controls belarus right now? >> you know, i think that alashenko thinks that he controls everything, that he controls drills, that he may be controlling credit somehow and that this is the price of what russia has to pay for giving alashenko the moment, so he participates now in this show that puts pressure on ukraine, puts pressure on europe and other critical countries. >> lukashenko has wrapping up his attacks on opposition, leaders like you, who have fled the country. he gave an address to the nation on friday, of course, which you are well familiar with. but he said to you, come home on your knees groveling. those were his exact words? >> representatives of the regime should beg some people to pardon them. because we are people who had to flee the country or who are in jails now or there are people in belarus who are living in fear every day but continue our underground fight. we are people for future, for builders where people will feel free. so the regime made a lot -- committed a lot of crimes against per

chernobyl is very close to the border with belarus. so you know, if there were incidents there, any kind of radiation release would impact belarus, and other parts of the region outside of the -- ukraine. so the operating plant, certainly in that regard would be more likely to impact ukraine directly. and so perhaps, the risks are not as great for russia, damage to those reactors. >> doctor gregory jaczko, we will have to leave it there. thank you so much for your time. as the russian siege on ukraine interstate four, more praise for putin from donald trump. how president biden is reacting to his predecessors controversial comments. to his predecessor controversial comments >> we are hearing from former president donald trump -- again -- in response to the former tracy queen, speaking at the cpac gathering in florida last night, he once again praised vladimir putin. but he did criticize his decision to invade its neighbor. he also bashed president biden's handling of the crisis claiming, it would not have happened if he were in charge.

we also are very much worried about the position of belarus and we hear different information about belarus, the things with ukraine but let's see, hopefully there would be some progress but i don't think it's going to end today, unfortunately. >> the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. was asked specifically about this yesterday by my colleague dana bash and she made clear no u.s. troops on the ground and that means no u.s. troops in the air. what's your response to that? >> well, we are calling on as many as possible. no fly zone is important and cull cutting all financial ties with russia, i'm sure this is going to help but russian citizens are not necessarily representing the opinion of putin. they want also peace, many of them and want to be connected with the world but isolation will bring so that hopefully putin changes his mind. i don't think that will happen but there is a chance to change the system there so it's not such a crazy dictator. very sick unhealthy thinking. countries with the blood. >> congressman, an important question for you because when you were on with me on friday, we ha

irate pulling back some troops from its exercises in belarus.— exercises in belarus. we have different information. - exercises in belarus. we have different information. what i exercises in belarus. we have different information. what is| exercises in belarus. we have - different information. what is your information? _ different information. what is your information? our— different information. what is your information? our security - different information. what is your information? our security services | information? our security services told the russian _ information? our security services told the russian soldiers - information? our security services told the russian soldiers still - told the russian soldiers still stand in the border of ukraine. we hope right now here in the security conference in munich, we find the solution, and the democratic solution, and the democratic solution is the main priority for us. diplomacy isjust solution is the main priority for us. diplomacy is just one way in this strange situation in this conflict. ., ., ~ ., , ., conflict

so also, got away with belarus. and protesting. we didn't support them. in the same thing with kazakhstan, and so, appetite is increasing. >> captain, we have to leave it there but thank you for joining us this morning. >> thanks, fox news, god bless america. todd to come over you. >> todd: speaking of, president zelensky said the number one peace talks is immediate cease-fire as ukrainian delegation writes at the border of belarus, and holding up to overnight, do not go anywhere from kyiv to kharkiv. do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? now you can sell your policy - even a term policy - for an immediate cash payment. call coventry direct to learn more. we thought we had planned carefully for our retirement. but we quickly realized we needed a way to supplement our income. our friend sold their policy to help pay their medical bills, and that got me thinking. maybe selling our policy could help with our retirement. i'm skeptical, so i did some research and called coventry direct. they explained life insurance is a valuable asset that c

all eyes now are on the border with belarus at the -- crossing, the intersection of belarus, ukraine and russia. and according to an adviser of the interior but, thanks have been seeing crossing from belarus into ukraine. it is unclear whether those tanks are going but i should note that that crossing, which i was at just three and a half weeks ago, is about three and a half hours away from where i am now. it is incredibly close to the capital. it has been a source of anxiety for ukrainian officials. the fact that there are 30,000 russian troops that have been conducting military exercises with belarusian forces, those exercises concluded on the 20th of february. they had been promised that once those exercises concluded that the russian forces would leave. and the russian forces then later announced, citing the situation in donbass, that they were in fact staying and now appear to be coming across the border and participating in this assault on ukraine. it's an extraordinarily tense situation here. and people are absolutely terrified, having been woken up this morning to any number

to have it in belarus. i was in minsk in 2015. we followed the talks, went into the night with the german chancellor angela merkel, the french president francois hollande, it resulted in the 2015 minsk agreement which was never implemented and ukrainian officials say, to use their expression, we had a gun to our head. russian forces had annexed crimea, they were in the donbas, we had to accept that agreement. to go back to minsk now at a time when belarus is giving open passage to russian tanks and russian troops to invade ukraine, this morning president zelensky had one of his videos addressing the people of belarus saying, "be belarus, don't be russia." that was geared for us. let's turn to the humanitarian situation, the refugees, 150,000 people have crossed into poems of her. let's go to the border and see the pictures there because all the while that steady stream of people coming with some of their possessions and animals and crossing that border into the neighbouring countries, not just poland but al

there is not a lot of evidence that belarus, you can make a convincing argument that belarus has surrendered a significant portion of its sovereignty to russia already at this point. just before all of this started they signed a bunch of military agreements that further unify the two militaries. there is already, you'll hear them talk about the union states which is russia and belarus, two leaders ostensibly independent of each other but there is definitely a higher get there. i think that they would probably like ukraine to be involved as well. and notable as they look at the map that the forces that are thought to be surrounding kyiv now are 20 miles away from kyiv did come in through belarus. so whether they are belarusian forces or russian forces, they came in through a third country. they are also coming in through russia, that is noteworthy, thank you very much for giving us some analysis on that. matt, wagner reporting live from moscow tonight. this morning. moscow. time we're continuing to monitor the situation in kyiv and cities around the country as dawn breaks on the second day of

, 60 miles from kiev on the border in belarus. we saw that pontoon bridge that was -- that appeared in satellite images on a river that is near the ukraine border. that is the direction that tanks would be moving if they were to cross in to ukraine. these are indicators. what we've seen is disinformation in the donbas region. everyone should be noticing and what is happening in the donbas region. the russian separatest leader for all russians to leave the area. putin will make room for the russians fleeing donbas in to russia, that he will have payments for them, setting up housing for them. this is all part of the disinformation inside russia to make it looks like there's a pretense, a reason to go in to ukraine. you heard president putin talking about genocide, targeting russians in the donbas area. there were some reports of mass graves that we're told were fake in recent days. this uptick in attacks along the line of control is being noted here at the pentagon. the uptick in disinformation, this is all part of laying the groun

belarus through chernobyl and took it less than a day. that's a dangerous area. >> that's radioactive still and will be for a long time. it's important for the russians to take it two things the first is, it's symbolic. >> yes >> it was part of the old russian soviet empire and they wanted to take it just to take it but it's also the fastest route from belarus down to kyiv and they wanted to get to and through kyiv as 235st as possible. >> before we go, this idea that the ukrainians are fighting is inspiring and beautiful to see the president out there in the streets with his people saying we will fight, we will fight there's a reality they are vastly outmanned and equipment if president zelenskyy is right and they take the city in your estimation, what happens to president zelenskyy, his cabinet and family >> i think he'll be arrested and eliminated. >> eliminated? >> yeah. >> when they use the word decapitate the government, it was -- >> yeah, it's -- >> words they meant? >> they're really serious. if as and when they take all of ukrain

exercises in neighboring belarus. and in an nbc news interview, the president sai "things could go crazy quickly." we'll take a closer look at ukraine after the news summary. the biden administration urged c the biden administration urged canada today to put an end to truck blockades along the border protesting covid vaccine mandates. the ambassador bridge linking detroit to windsor, ontario stayed bottled up for a fourth day. a bridge at port huron, michigan was also blocked, and a border crossing in manitoba joined the list. truckers are still clogging central ottawa as well. supporters said today the government has to give way. >> if everyone here leaves and goes home, and everyone is a little bit happy, and everyone can go back to doing what they want to do, then we can start to have a civilized discussion about things. but til the band-aids and the restrictions are lifted, no one here is leaving. this can go on for days, weeks, months; it doesn't matter. >> woodruff: with the protests continuing, general motors a

meanwhile, north of ukraine, russia and belarus are carrying out huge military drills. our correspondent, steve rosenberg sent this report from the belarusian capital, minsk — and a warning it does contain flash photography. definition of muscle flexing? this. gunfire. 100 miles from ukraine's border, russia and belarus are holding joint exercises on an unprecedented scale. nato says it's the biggest deployment of russian troops in belarus since the cold war. at least 10,000 russian soldiers within easy reach of ukraine. but both moscow and minsk deny they are threatening anyone. translation: our country isn't helping russia - to capture ukraine. and russia doesn't want to capture ukraine. we don't need war in belarus or in russia. we've had enough war. we still remember world war ii. russia insists that these exercises are purely defensive. ukraine says this is psychological pressure, at the very least, and at most, well, there is concern in kyiv and in the west that if there is a full—scale attack on ukraine then russian troops in belarus could be part of that. am

belarus is the enabler. i thank you, mr. president. >> i thank the distinguished representative of denmark. i now give the floor to the distinguished preventative of france -- representative of france. >> mr. president, russia day by day is continuing its work of destruction in ukraine. and on top of these brutal and criminal acts, we see a dangerous rhetoric, which is further stoking tension. russia is conducting this armed aggression in violation of the principles of the united nations charter, which all members of this assembly have the obligation to respect. on friday, they voted to oppose a security council resolution sponsored by two states. the general assembly today has a historic responsibility that of relaying loudly and robustly the voice of citizens who across all continents, including in russia, are asking for the immediate cessation of this work and the withdrawal of the army from ukrainian territory. france supports the efforts underway within this assembly to prepare a resolution demanding that russia put an

the border with belarus stretches for over a thousand kilometres. all along this northern frontier the men and women of ukraine's border guard are getting ready. they may be called upon to be this country's first line of defence. the enemy is not belarus, but somewhere beyond this barbed wire fence. russia has deployed its forces on belarusian territory, artillery and fighterjets, tanks and rocket systems. this right here is a highly strategic spot because up that road about an hour away are the russian forces. thousands of troops, hundreds of tanks and down that road is kyiv. it's pretty much a straight paved road all the way to the capital. the thought of russian tanks rolling down this road evokes the spectre of conflict on a terrifying scale. washington and london have warned an invasion could be imminent. moscow calls that hysteria, while at the same time pumping out pictures of military hardware making its way into belarus. their troops welcomed with a traditional greeting of bread and salt. this current crisis really began in 2014, when prote

the government is using belarus as a staging ground. you could point to belarus as a model of what putin might want for this country. the ukrainian president saying he's not willing to go to belarus, he does not want to meet their, but he did say he beat willing to do it elsewhere, lindsey. >> pick up where kyle left off, i asked jack jacobson last hour if this was a charade in the part of the russian, he says it might appear to be, zelenskyy reject those are often because it's in belarus, really no longer a neutral state. >> that is right. actually, i was just talking to a former russian official, it deep contact inside the kremlin. and you describe this offer of negotiations by the russians as a puppet show, they sent a former culture minister, not the kind of person you sound if you are very serious about negotiations. that is taking aside the question of whether the ukrainians would want to go to belarus to negotiate. it will be pretty obvious to the kremlin that they were not one of the. this is the russians controlling the ukraini

the border with belarus. they came across the border and wanted to hit the northwestern edge of kyiv and northeastern edge of kyiv. they seem to have done that rather successfully but still they are several miles outside of the city center and so far the capital city is holding. i mentioned the south. let me pop down there quick. crimea was taken by russia in 2014. remember that, right? they crossed this irrigation canal the other day and met very little resistance and able to go to the east as far as mariupol. a half million people in that town on the sea. putin wants to take and occupy and keep for his own. this whole area is something we'll watch through the coming weeks. that's the state of play as we understand it right now back here at home in new york. dana has more now. >> dana: for more on this michael allen is a former senior director for counter proliferation committee. what are your thoughts this morning as putin continues his advance? >> well, i'm very worried that vladimir putin will begin indis

what goes through your mind when you hear the belarus president criticize the u.s. and countries such as poland, latvia or estonia. >> well, we know the belarus president is a dictator and in that regard it concerns me. clearly from his words, he's standing strongly with putin. so i get concerned about the belarusian army. that's why the president of the united states has said if that happens, then there will be severe consequences for belarus, which has to be. but it concerns me greatly that you have and clearly see the aggression that's coming from the russians on belarus where this training is taking place allegedly. the best way to show that they're not the -- don't want to cross that line is to get the troops out of there. jake, for them to say that they are removing troops when we have satellites and can see where the troops are. in fact there's more people in belarus doing these drills now than there were a week ago. and we're not going to play the sucker punch thing. but you look at one part of the country and say we're pulling out a few people there and add