Right now.
Can you give
us any up to date information
about what's happening around that dam?
It's obviously a catastrophic breach
and it's affected huge numbers of people
and lives.
And there's just so much environmental
and humanitarian disaster there.
What do you know
about the state of that dam right now?
Well, obviously,
there was a significant breach
that caused all that flooding.
We still don't have specific information
about how that breach occurred.
And we're doing the best
we can talking to Ukrainian authorities
to try to assess that.
But really, honestly,
much of our focus right now
and I mean,
the predominant amount of our focus
is on helping
alleviate
some of the humanitarian concerns
that you just mentioned.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians
in southern
the southern part of the country
all the way down to crishon,
are having to evacuate their homes
and leave their businesses behind.
There have been casualties.
Lives have been lost.
Obviously, there's a lack of water.
There's a lack of power.
So we're doing everything we can,
working through
USAID and our humanitarian partners
on the ground
to get aid and assistance
to where it's needed, in fact.
Christiane, within hours of the breach,
USAID had work
with their partners on the ground
to get busses available
to just get people
out of the flood waters
and get them out of danger.
We have provided boats, water
purification equipment,
obviously water itself
and other rescue gear.
And so we're going to stay in touch
with the Ukrainians
about what they need going forward.
They can count on the United States
to continue to support.
You mentioned water,
and we understand that
only you know, sort of shipped
in water, so to speak,
can be used for drinking.
They're entirely reliant on outside water
coming in.
President Zelensky has also said publicly
that Russia is, in fact, firing on people
who are trying to evacuate
and on any assistance measures.
This is what he said
at least.
The situation is extremely difficult.
Russian troops do not stop
artillery strikes at the very territory
where people are being evacuated aided.
Unfortunately,
there are wounded
from their terrorist attacks.
People who are rescuing and evacuating
from the Russian
ecocide are also forced to flee
from Russian fire.
John Kirby,
there is a lot of anger inside Ukraine
about the notion
that they may be considered
you know, responsible for it
on the one hand.
On the other hand,
everybody knows that
Russia has been
bombarding this area for a long time
and the threat to
this dam
has been public concern
for a long, long time.
Do you really think
that it's anything other than Russia
Well, we don't really know.
We just don't know what caused
the breach of the dam.
And again,
we're trying to assess
that as best we can.
We're not on the ground
that we're trying to do the best
we can to assess it.
I think it's fair to say
that we all need to recognize
Russia was illegally
in that part of Ukraine.
They have no business being on
Ukrainian territory, period.
But we know that they were
occupying areas
in that part of southern Ukraine.
We know that they were occupying
the dam and the reservoir.
And so clearly, they have
clearly they had
given themselves
illegally, but given themselves
the mantle of responsibility
for that dam
and for the safety of that dam.
So clearly, in that context, yes, Russia
certainly bears
responsibility here in general
for being just being there physically.
But what caused the breach exactly.
That's what we just don't know.
And again,
while we still want to figure that out,
we are mainly focused on
trying to alleviate
the humanitarian disaster
that that bridge those costs,
but is clearly
you know, many believe that
and certainly the Ukrainians that it
and I've heard American officials
say that it could be a very cynical plot
to or method
of trying to thwart the counteroffensive
that we understand is finally underway.
It would thwart the counteroffensive,
wouldn't it?
I mean, how does it
how does a nation fight
with all the mod cons that you've sent?
We understand
the Bradleys are the armored vehicles
that you've all sent, are in are in use.
Right.
Now, it's very difficult
for them to come across
that kind of flooded terrain.
Well,
with the
caveat that
I won't speak for the Ukrainian military
or what
their plans or intentions
are in terms of offensive operations,
that's really for them to speak to.
Certainly,
if you just look at the flooding
that it was caused south
into the southwest of the dam
through that
southern part of Ukraine, downed
a course on,
clearly that kind of flooding
is going to have an impact on militaries
ability to maneuver and to fight.
I mean, just the flooding itself
will will make conditions
on an untenable
for that kind of fighting.
But also, it's
going to
necessarily as it has diverted
Ukrainian resources and energy
and even some of their,
you know,
their military's attention
to trying to help alleviate
the humanitarian catastrophe.
So in that regard, certainly
there's going to be an impact to Ukraine.
And so they're resourcing in there
and they're in their ability.
But again,
there is a lot of fighting
going on elsewhere
in the eastern part of the country.
And we'll let Mr.
Zelenskiy speak to to that
and to characterize.
So even,
you know, I know you will let him but
but we've heard
and we've read
and we know that you have
obviously many intelligence
and eyes on the ground.
The Russian president has said
that the counteroffensive has started
and that it's not going well for Ukraine.
And we've heard separately from U.S.
officials that there's been a lot of
fight back by the Russians
and quite a lot of casualties
in terms of material and men.
What can you tell us
about the initial stages
of of this counteroffensive?
Well,
again, I'll let the
Ukrainians speak to their
their offensive operations.
We wouldn't do that.
We wouldn't characterize it.
And we wouldn't
we wouldn't
get ahead of President Zelensky.
But clearly
and you have CNN reporters on the ground
witnessing this for themselves, there is
there is stepped up
fighting along that eastern flank there
along the eastern side of the country
all the way from Donbas
and including around back in
and points further south.
And so there is there is contact
between these two military forces
there is fighting.
There have been casualties.
And what we're going to be focused
on, again,
without characterizing what they're doing
or speaking for them,
but we're we're going to stay
focused on is making sure
that they have all the resources,
the capabilities, the training,
the tools that they need
to be successful
in the weeks and months ahead.
And that includes, Christiane,
in coming days,
I think
you'll see
some more announcements
from the United States about additional
aid and security
and weapons
and capabilities
that will be going to
the Ukrainian armed forces to help them.
Another ominous
pledge
from President Putin
was that in a matter of days,
he is going to deploy
tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
He says that they've built the
whatever they need to build
to house these things.
What can the United States do about that?
Have you demolished Belarus?
Well, what is the
what is the actual real threat of them
being in Belarus?
This is another example of just reckless
and irresponsible
rhetoric and
and and posturing
about nuclear capabilities from Mr.
Putin and from Moscow.
A nuclear war can should never be fought,
can never be won.
We've been very clear about that.
This is dangerous rhetoric,
which we have to take seriously.
We can't just cast it off as bluster.
We have to take it
seriously coming from a country
like Russia and from Mr. Putin.
So we're doing the best
we can to monitor.
We don't see anything out there
that shows us that there's
an imminent indication of movement
of nuclear capabilities
or imminent risk of of nuclear
war inside Ukraine
or even on the continent.
And I can tell you that we've
we've seen nothing
that would cause us
to change our own deterrent posture
when it comes to those kinds
of capabilities.
And we're watching this
very, very closely.