Department of State Press Briefing - June 6, 2023 | Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson |

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With that, Matt, go ahead.

QUESTION: Thanks, Vedant. I want to start with Ukraine, even though I have, like, zero hope that you're going to have an answer, considering what just happened at the White House briefing. What's your understanding of what happened with this dam?

MR PATEL: So, we've been closely monitoring the impacts of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which has triggered massive flooding in Ukraine and resulted in the evacuation of thousands of Ukrainians. As our colleagues at the White House said, we have seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion at the dam, which Russia forces took illegally last year, and we have been continuing to monitor. We can't say conclusively what happened at this point, but we will share more information when we can.

What continues to be very clear, though, is that the damage to the Ukrainian people that they've endured and to the region will continue to be significant. We continue to be in touch with our Ukrainian partners - and our offer to how we may be able to provide assistance to the many Ukrainians who have been displaced.

QUESTION: When you say it's inconclusive, does that mean that you cannot rule out that it might have been an accident?

MR PATEL: We are actively working to determine what happened, and hope to have more information soon. I'm just not going to speculate from here.

QUESTION: Can you - I'm not asking you to speculate, but when you say it's inconclusive, does that mean that you've decided that it - or you have come to the conclusion that it could have been accidental?

MR PATEL: Again, Matt, we're working to determine what happened. But I think the important thing is that Russia started this war, and it was Russia that --

QUESTION: Well, that means everything - so anything could have happened? Right?

MR PATEL: -- occupied this area of Ukraine, and it was Russia that was in control of this dam. Again, I don't have a conclusive assessment to offer you from up here.

QUESTION: Okay. But I don't understand - so that means that it is still a possibility, according to what you know, at the moment, that it was accidental?

MR PATEL: Again, we are - I think we're basically saying the same thing, Matt. We are actively trying to determine what happened.

QUESTION: No, we're not saying the same thing. I'm saying - I'm asking you if you think --

MR PATEL: I think we are. I'm saying that --

QUESTION: -- that it's still a possibility - if there's still - if there's a possibility that it was an accident. And you're not saying that; you're saying it was inconclusive, and refusing to say that it's possible it was an accident.

MR PATEL: We are trying to determine what happened.

QUESTION: All right.

MR PATEL: Of course, that could be a possibility. But we are trying to determine what happened.

QUESTION: Ah, okay. Thank you.

MR PATEL: Again, but I don't have a steer to offer from up here.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Could I just follow --

MR PATEL: Shaun, go ahead.

QUESTION: Just real briefly. When you say you're trying to - and not you, personally, but that the United States is trying to assess what happened, what means are going into this? Is there - are there discussions with Ukrainians? Is there remote assessment? I mean, how - what level of --

MR PATEL: Of course. There's close coordination and collaboration with our Ukrainian partners, as well as other regional partners - as well, into assessments into what happened. I'm certainly not going to go into how we are assessing and analyzing this intelligence or assessing what unfolded, but that work continues to be ongoing.

QUESTION: And just - I know this veers a little bit into the hypothetical, but in terms of what the repercussions would be, I mean, how big of a deal was this if this were a deliberate act of sabotage?

MR PATEL: I'm just not going to speculate or hypothesize, Shaun. We are actively working to determine what happened, and we hope to share more information soon. The important thing to remember, though, that it was in fact Russia that started this war. It was Russia that was occupying this area, and it was Russia that was in control of the dam. So we continue to be in touch with Ukrainian authorities, and how we may be able to offer assistance to the many Ukrainians who have been displaced and forced to flee.

QUESTION: Same topic.

MR PATEL: Same topic?

QUESTION: A follow-up on this?

MR PATEL: Yeah, go ahead.

QUESTION: Has the Secretary been in touch with his Ukrainian counterpart yet?

MR PATEL: So, the Secretary speaks to Foreign Minister Kuleba quite regularly. We, of course, are also in touch with our Ukrainian partners quite regularly. I don't have a specific call to read out. But we have been in close coordination with our Ukrainian partners through our embassy in Kyiv and Ambassador Brink and others, and we'll continue to do so.

Hudson.

QUESTION: Minister Kuleba said today that by not going out exclusively denouncing Russian action, Western media actors might put on the same foot propaganda and the facts. Don't you --

MR PATEL: Who said that?

QUESTION: Minister Kuleba.

MR PATEL: Oh.

QUESTION: Said that by not calling it out, you might put - you might give some room for propaganda. Are you not --

MR PATEL: Alex - Alex, we have at every turn of this conflict - I and the others who brief from this podium have called out illegal and unjust Russian actions - not just in Ukraine but in the region broadly when they have happened. As I have said, as it relates to this specific incident, we're continuing to assess what has happened, and we're working to determine that, and we will share any information that we can. But I take issue with the characterization that we have not called out Russia for many of its malign and illegal activities as it relates to Ukraine.

Hudson, go ahead.

QUESTION: (Inaudible) to basically assess --

MR PATEL: I'm going to - I'm going to --

QUESTION: Just one last question.

MR PATEL: Okay.

QUESTION: Basically, assess it. Well, Russia controls the land and also the dam. How do you assess? Do you assess the consequences of it, or do you collect the facts in a way that we have no idea of --

MR PATEL: This is a process that's ongoing, Alex. We're doing so in coordination with our Ukrainian partners and others on the ground. And when we have more information to share, I am certain that we will.

John, go ahead.

QUESTION: Just quickly, Kirby did make a reference to an explosion. Is it possible to confirm if the U.S. has assessed if it was an explosion rather than a breach at the dam?

MR PATEL: I have no reason to say anything different from what the admiral said, but I'm happy to check in and see if there's some specific assessment that we can offer.

QUESTION: Does that mean it does appear to have been an explosion?

MR PATEL: Again, our understanding is that there were reports of an explosion. There were some reports that - also that Russia was responsible. But again, we can't say conclusively what happened, and that is still assessment - those assessments are still ongoing.

QUESTION: On the same topic.

MR PATEL: Okay. Go ahead.

• Surveillance video from November 2022 shows explosions at the Kakhovka dam

QUESTION: Have you seen the reports from The Washington Post back in December that the Ukrainians were actually firing HIMAR missiles into this dam as part of a potential strategy to flood the region so that Russia could not advance? So, is there any - have you seen those reports?

MR PATEL: I've not seen those reports, but - so I don't have anything to offer on that.

QUESTION: Are you aware of that strategy in general?

MR PATEL: I don't have anything to offer on that.

Anything else on this topic before we move away? Go ahead, in the back.

QUESTION: Mr. Patel, Igor Naymushin from RIA Novosti, thank you. So, don't you think that the recent developments in Ukraine, including Kakhhovka power plant attack is a reasonable - is an important reason to arrange a call between Secretary Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov?

MR PATEL: To say what?

QUESTION: To discuss the recent - the developments in Ukraine, as they haven't talked for about two months.

MR PATEL: Our message to Foreign Minister Lavrov and to any Russian official has been pretty clear, and we have been pretty clear in all of those readouts. They are: You should leave Ukraine. You should free Paul Whelan, and you should free Evan Gershkovich. And you should immediately withdraw your forces in your illegal and unjust invasion into Ukraine.

QUESTION: So, no plans to arrange --

MR PATEL: We've been very clear in our messaging to Russian officials. Anything else on this topic before we move away? On this topic, Janne, or something else? Okay. That's the - when I say on this topic - go ahead.

QUESTION: Thank you.

Great briefing ... reporters briefing Mr. Patel on developments past, present and future in Ukraine ... keeping each other busy each day. An American audience ... C-Span video

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