A day after the flooding caused by the partial collapse of the New Kakhovhka dam, about 6,000 people were evacuated on both sides of the Dnieper bank, but Ukrainian authorities accuse the Russians of abandoning residents at sites under stood in water. Faced with the environmental and human disaster, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called for outside intervention. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously warned that “hundreds of thousands of people do not have normal access to drinking water”, was “appalled” by the lack of aid from the UN and the Red Cross so far. “I think it’s the forces that must be there to save human lives,” he told the Image.
According to Yuriy Sobolevskyi, of the Kherson Regional Council, “the situation on the left bank is appalling”, with the Russian army not only not helping to evacuate residents, but also holding back or extorting volunteers. For Sobolevskyi, quoted by average Ukrainians, the occupying authorities will use the situation to move people to Russian territory. While pro-Kremlin authorities reported seven missing, in Kherson there were reports of three missing.
“International humanitarian organizations, on behalf of the government of Ukraine, urge you to act immediately.” In particular, Shmyhal’s video call was aimed at helping evacuate Ukrainians trapped on the Russian-occupied left bank of the river. The first to respond to the call was the French president. Speaking on the phone to his Ukrainian counterpart, Emmanuel Macron took to Twitter to condemn the “heinous act that endangers the population” and assured that help will arrive in the coming hours, including water purifiers and portable cisterns.
The consequences of the destruction of the dam – Kiev and Moscow continue to accuse each other of responsibility for what happened – are increasing as the hours go by. Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said the water from the dam has flooded about 100,000 hectares of farmland, affecting food security. It further estimated that 94% of irrigation systems in Kherson, 74% in Zaporizia and 30% in Dnipropetrovsk will have no water sources.
Described as an “ecocide” by Ukrainian authorities, the dam’s destruction affected the public water distribution and sanitation system, flooding six water treatment infrastructures. Faced with a scenario described by Zelensky of “hundreds of thousands of people without access to drinking water”, the Ukrainian government approved the construction of pipelines to bring drinking water to the regions that used the dam for their water supply in the south of the country. .
The Department of Energy reported that 20,000 customers were without power due to flooding of 129 electrical substations. And upstream, thousands and thousands of fish began to die. According to the environmental group UNCG, the dam’s reservoir yielded up to 2,600 tons of fish per year.
NATO shows air muscle
NATO will today convene an emergency coordination group with Ukraine. The meeting was chaired by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and was requested by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who will also attend the meeting.
The organization is also in the news because next week it will start the largest air force exercise in Europe in the history of the Atlantic Alliance. Air Defender 23, led by Germany, will take place from Monday and will bring together 250 military aircraft from 25 NATO countries for 11 days, with the exception of Portugal, Sweden, which is waiting to join the alliance, and Japan.
The US ambassador to Germany said the exercise, while defensive in nature, was intended to send a signal to countries including Russia. “I would be very surprised if some world leader did not take note of what this demonstrates in terms of the spirit of this alliance, what the strength of this alliance means, and that includes Mr. Putin,” said Amy Gutmann. The exercise, in which ten thousand soldiers are participating, will take place in Germany, but also in the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia.
U.S. General Michael Loh explained that the purpose of the exercise is to “complement the United States’ permanent presence in Europe” while providing training “on a larger scale than usual” on the continent, at a time when the NATO’s functions are at a “turning point,” he said. “A lot has changed in the strategic landscape around the world, especially in Europe.”
In this context of change, the Secretary General proposed opening a NATO office in Tokyo in response to China’s growing challenge. However, France has already shown its opposition to the initiative, the Financial times. A French official recalled that the treaty limits the geographic scope of the alliance to the North Atlantic. In addition, he claimed that the measure would damage relations with China and jeopardize Beijing’s neutrality regarding the supply of weapons or parts to Moscow.
According to the British newspaper, President Emmanuel Macron warned at a conference last week that expanding “NATO’s scope and geography would be a grave mistake”. According to AFP, Paris was also not happy that it had come up with the idea through the press before consultations had taken place between the members of the military alliance.
Biden and Sunak discuss Ukraine (and beyond)
On Rishi Sunak’s first trip to the United States since taking over the reins of the British government in October, but on his fourth meeting with Joe Biden since then, the war in Ukraine will be at the top of an agenda that includes bilateral economic relations and the regulation of artificial intelligence.
The spokesman for the US National Security Council confirmed that the war will be “one of the main topics of conversation”, particularly about ways to work together. “And the British were literally on the front line helping Ukraine,” praised John Kirby.
With no free trade deal on the horizon, Sunak will propose London to host a future global regulator of artificial intelligence and more bilateral investment. The British Prime Minister’s audience with the US President comes after Sunak had meetings with congressional leaders and businessmen the day before. As a cricket fan, the conservative also went to watch a baseball game.
The British visit is the second by a European head of government this week. On Monday it was the turn of the Danish Mette Frederiksen. According to the White House, one of the main topics was the war in Ukraine and, in particular, Kiev’s request to receive F-16 fighters and associated training. Copenhagen had already indicated its openness to being part of the international coalition, along with other European capitals such as Brussels, The Hague or Oslo.
Another topic that will be central to Biden’s meeting with Sunak is the position of NATO’s secretary general. Both Frederiksen and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are candidates for the position of Jens Stoltenberg, who is expected to leave in September.
Three out of four in the EU want autonomous defence
74% of Europeans agree that Europe cannot be so dependent on the US for security and defense, concludes the latest survey commissioned by the European Council on External Relations (ECFR), which has more than 16 thousand Europeans from 11 countries included (Portugal excluded). While the US is now seen primarily as an ally and partner again, most believe Trump’s return would weaken transatlantic relations. Russia is now seen as an opponent (55%) or rival (9%), but in countries such as Austria, Bulgaria or Hungary, most see Moscow as a partner or ally.
In another opinion poll, the European Parliament’s most recent Eurobarometer revealed that the majority of European citizens (69%) are satisfied with the support Ukraine has received since the start of the Russian invasion. Of the more than 26,000 respondents, the Portuguese were the most satisfied with Brussels’ support for Kiev (84%).
Source: DN
