‘Horrific consequences’: International leaders react to Ukraine dam destruction
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Transcript
00:00 As Ukraine and Russia trade blame for the Kharkovka dam collapse, the international
00:05 community has been weighing in on the looming environmental disaster.
00:10 Kyiv's biggest backer, the US, is actively reviewing intelligence as to the cause of
00:15 the catastrophe. But so far it said it wasn't certain.
00:19 We have seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion at the dam, which Russia
00:24 forces took illegally last year and we have been continuing to monitor. We can't say conclusively
00:31 what happened at this point but we will share more information when we can.
00:35 Across the border in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also wasn't pointing any fingers
00:40 prematurely.
00:41 This is yet another example of the horrific consequences of Russia's illegal invasion
00:48 of Ukraine.
00:50 Some leaders, however, were more sure of who was to blame. Lithuania shares a border with
00:55 the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Its president said such events raise questions over the
01:01 limits of common sense.
01:03 You start to wonder, perhaps there aren't any taboos when it comes to blackmail over
01:09 the Zaporizhia nuclear plants that Russia seeks to use against all civilised worlds.
01:15 These are the war crimes and the crimes of aggression.
01:19 Meanwhile the chief of the UN said the collapse was "another devastating consequence of the
01:24 Russian invasion of Ukraine."
01:26 Today's tragedy is yet another example of the horrific price of war on people. The floodgates
01:33 of suffering have been overflowing for more than a year and that must stop. Attacks against
01:39 civilians and critical civilian infrastructure must stop.
01:44 The UN's Atomic Energy Agency said the cooling pond for the nearby Zaporizhia power plant
01:49 has enough water for months, but that the bursting of the dam is making an already difficult
01:54 and unpredictable security situation even more so.
01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]