Judy: A Ukrainian defense
official said today that the
situation in mariupol is
difficult and hard.
In fact, the port city on the
sea of asaba is surrounded.
And under constant bombardment
by Russian forces.
There is little food or water
left for those who remain.
And little ammunition for the
Ukrainian forces.
Meantime, atrocities committed
by Russian troops continue to be
unearthed across the region,
surrounding Kyiv.
We begin our coverage.
Correspondent: This morning,
residents of Kyiv assess the
damage and clear the debris from
overnight blasts.
The most powerful since Russian
troops diverted forces.
This came shortly after Russians
announced their flagship ship
sunk.
>> Even for those that have not
been there, moscov was a symbol
of everyone.
A symbol of our power.
Our hope.
Our revival of the fleet in the
90's.
It is a symbol of our
engineering and scientific
achievements.
The force of our arms.
Correspondent: Ukrainian leaders
took credit for its destruction
and U.S. Officials confirmed to
pbs newshour two Ukrainian
missiles led to the sinking.
The Russian defense ministry
rejected that narrative but
still promised a response to
Ukrainian attacks including
another strike they said they
carried out last night.
>> The number and scale of
missile strikes will increase in
response to any terrorist
attacks or sabotage committed by
the Kyiv nationalist regime on
the Russian territory.
Correspondent: Meanwhile, 100
20,000 residents remain in an
almost unrecognizable mariupol
-- 120,000 residents remain in
an almost unrecognizable
mariupol.
>> We came to see our daughter
when the bombing started.
We got in a basement but my wife
can barely walk.
Correspondent: With the war
entering its 51st day, Ukrainian
president volodymyr zelenskyy
address the country in the
world, commending its people for
withstanding weeks of brutality
and pushing for tougher
sanctions against Moscow.
>> These 50 days showed me world
leaders in a different way.
The countries are different.
I have seen great generosity for
those that have not enriched
themselves.
I have seen extraordinary
determination by world leaders
who previously did not take it
seriously.
Correspondent: For more on the
ground in Ukraine and on the
increasing humanitarian access,
I'm joined by David Beasley, the
executive director of the world
food program who joins us now.
Welcome back to the newshour.
Thank you for making the time.
I want to begin with mariupol.
The situation grows worse by the
day.
You have been trying to get food
aid into the city.
Have you gotten any luck getting
access to mariupol?
David: We do not have the access
we need.
There's no way people are not
starving to death.
We have been doing whatever we
can, to sneak it in whatever it
takes.
Give us the access and allow us
to do what we do as impartial
and neutral to reach the
innocent victims of this war.
Correspondent: When you see you
don't have access, are your
trucks from the boots on the
ground, are they being actively
blocked by Russian troops?
David: We are not allowed to go
in.
That's the bottom line.
We have the trucks, the
vehicles, the food, we just need
the access.
It is not any more complicated.
Correspondent: What would it
take to get that access?
>> Particularly the eastern side
of Ukraine where several cities
are blocked.
If we can get the access we
need, we can move the food
supplies and.
It's a war zone.
We understand it is complex.
But we work 80% of our
operations in war Zones, areas
of conflict.
We have experience and how to do
this and we know how to do it in
such a way that we reach is its
people.
We are just asking, please give
us the access we need.
Correspondent: Who are you
making that request to?
>> I have already written and
spoken to Russian leadership
about this.
We need it now.
People are starving.
Correspondent: Have you gotten
any response or indication that
that access will be granted
anytime soon?
David: No.
Correspondent: If you don't get
in, tell me about the
circumstances on the ground.
David: People don't get food
and water, they die.
The question is if Russian
forces are providing food.
That I don't know because we
don't have the access.
This is what we do.
Correspondent: We have spoken on
so many occasions where you are
in many different nations trying
to get aid to people who need it
and you sound incredibly
frustrated right now.
Is this like any other situation
you have been in getting food
and water to people?
David: We have run into the
situation at times before
whether it is Syria, Ethiopia,
or Afghanistan.
We keep pounding the pavement
and we keep pounding the doors
and we usually find a break
room.
It is day 51 and we don't have a
breakthrough.
We are going to continue to do
everything we can.
We are not going to give up on
these people.
We will keep jumping up and down
and hammering the message home
as hard as we can until we get
the access that we need.
Correspondent: You were able to
make your way to mu -- bucha.
Investigators are looking into
war crimes on the ground there.
David: I was just in Kyiv and
bucha.
I have talked to many people on
the streets of bucha.
You have seen the pictures where
the tanks are all over the city.
But you have -- may not have
seen the devastation of the
residential neighborhoods.
Just wiped out.
I stood near an oh-fer and age
-- near an orphanage that was
just blown to pieces.
Why?
I've heard of victims of the
war, mothers that were shot,
children that were shot.
You can't believe it.
I've seen a lot of bad stuff.
Whether it is Ethiopia, Yemen,
This is as bad as it gets.
Correspondent: We have talked
about the millions of people
that have fled Ukraine and are
able to get out.
Are you able to reach them and
provide support?
David: The 4.5 million people
that have left Ukraine are the
lucky ones because they are
being brought in by the loving
arms of strangers that are
giving them food.
We are helping as much as we
need to help with that
particular refugee crisis.
But inside, you have 7 million
people that are internally
displaced.
You've got people that are
stuck, for example, it on the
eastern side of Ukraine, in the
midst of the battle of war.
We are trying to reach the most
vulnerable because that is what
we can do and that is what we do
best.
But it is very commonplace.
Putting the food supplies,
getting the trucks.
It took most of the truck
drivers on the battlefront.
But then you run into blockades.
And then you think it's bad
enough, what's taking place
inside Ukraine, but you realize
Ukraine grows enough food to
feed 400 million people around
the world.
So we are not talking about just
Ukraine, we are talking about
the entire world that will pay a
mighty big price because of this
war.
Correspondent: The war has
exacerbated shortages, food
shortages.
An incredible amount of grain
comes from Ukraine and Russia
both.
David: We feed about 125 million
people during the year.
We buy 50% of our grain from the
rain -- from Ukraine.
We are seeing an increase in
food costs and shipping costs to
the extent of an additional
operational cost per month.
So $850 million impact on our
operational expense.
That means 4 million to 5
million people less will get
food.
That is our operations.
It doesn't even impact the
increase in food prices for
everyone else and the
possibility of the
unavailability of food for
people around the world.
When you take the bread basket
of the world, they feed 400
million people.
Where is that food going to come
from over the next six months or
nine months?
The farmers are on the front
lines and they need to be in the
field.
They need to be planting,
putting out fertilizer, ready to
harvest.
The ports are shut down.
It is through those ports that
400 million people are fed.
It will have a global impact on
everywhere around the world, but
especially the poorest of the
poor.
If we don't reach the poorest of
the poor in the countries that
we are mostly concerned about,
you will have famine.
You will have destabilization of
nations, and you're going to
have mass migration.
And I can tell you, that will
cost 1000 times more than if we
can get it in advance and do it
Correspondent: David Beasley
joining us.
Thank you so much.
David: It is good to be with