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Department Press Briefing – June 7, 2023 [ https://www.state.gov/briefings/department-press-briefing-june-7-2023/ ] 06/07/2023 07:10 PM EDT
Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson
1:19 p.m. EDT
*MR PATEL:* Good afternoon, everyone. I don’t have anything off the top today, so Matt, please.
*QUESTION:* I – this is probably a pointless exercise, but I’ll ask anyway if there’s anything new that you have to say about the Ukraine dam and what caused this to happen.
*MR PATEL:* We still conclusively don’t have anything additional to offer on what happened at this point, but that is a process that continues to be underway and we will share more information when we can. I will note, though, that 16,000 residents face immediate flood risk as a result of the damage and destruction, with an estimated 20,000 people needing to relocate. This flooding as a result of this puts not only homes, farms, and civilians at risk, but it also creates another challenge to maintaining safety in and around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as well as critically endangering the water supply to southern Ukraine, including Crimea. It additionally impacts the stability of the national power supply and threatens ecological systems and food security as well. But —
*QUESTION:* And what is —
*MR PATEL:* We don’t have additional – to your questions about attribution, I don’t have anything to —
*QUESTION:* Okay. But you suggested, at least, I think, at the beginning that you might – or you would have something to say about it some time in the future. Is that —
*MR PATEL:* This will – when we have more information to share, we certainly will. I don’t want to assign a timeline on it.
*QUESTION:* Is it an “if and when,” or is it a “when?”
*MR PATEL:* Matt, I mean —
*QUESTION:* I’m just – look, because we’ve been through this kind of song and dance before —
*MR PATEL:* I know.
*QUESTION:* — where you guys have said that, okay, we’re going to present stuff, and then it doesn’t happen.
*MR PATEL:* We will share information when we can.
*QUESTION:* All right.
*MR PATEL:* All right.
*QUESTION:* Can I just pursue that? Is there anything as a result – I think – you’re telling us about the attribution. But in terms of the investigation, if you want to call it that, in terms of what’s happened —
*MR PATEL:* I’m certainly not going to get into internal assessments and – but I will note that we continue to be in close touch with Ukrainian authorities on providing assistance to the civilians displaced, as well as continuing to assess what transpired. Again, it is a deeply alarming, it is a tragic outcome of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. And so this is something we’ll continue to remain deeply engaged on. But I don’t have an updated assessment to offer on this.
*QUESTION:* Can I just follow up —
*MR PATEL:* On the same topic, Alex? Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Yeah. There were reports last night that the U.S. possesses intel information indicating that Russia is behind it. Can you say —
*MR PATEL:* I’m certainly not going to get into intelligence assessments from up here, and as I told Matt, we don’t have any conclusively – anything to offer as to what happened. But when we do, we’ll make sure to share that information.
*QUESTION:* Given where we are right now – we regret what’s happening and we can’t say who is behind it – is it a concern on your end that this sends out the wrong signal to Russia to proceed with other plans, like Zaporizhzhia and others, because they feel like they’re greenlighted and the world will actually come late to it?
*MR PATEL:* Alex, at any kind of escalatory action that Russia has taken – and again, I want to be very careful that as it relates to this we are continuing to determine what happened, and I don’t have conclusively a steer to offer. But broadly, at every turn of this unjust and unlawful invasion into Ukraine, when Russia has taken reckless action – whether it be conducting violent activity so close to the nuclear power plant, which is something that we were talking about last year; their continued air strikes on Kyiv that has targeted civilians, civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure – we have called Russia out for this dangerous behavior. Not only that, we have continued to support our Ukrainian partners in their endeavors to defend their territorial integrity, to defend their sovereignty, and to defend their people.
We’ve also taken steps to hold the Russian Federation accountable. So we are not greenlighting anything. This – again, so as I said, this destruction was certainly alarming, and we are continuing to look into what transpired.
*QUESTION:* And one more follow-up on this, if I can have another. How much are you guys involved into rescuing efforts? And is there an assessment on how well-equipped is Ukraine in terms of addressing the emergency?
*MR PATEL:* We’re engaging directly with our Ukrainian partners about ways that we can provide assistance in – specifically as it relates to this displacement. But I don’t have anything new to offer beyond that.
*QUESTION:* On this issue.
*MR PATEL:* Go ahead, Said.
*QUESTION:* A very quick follow-up. There was a conversation between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and Erdogan today, and he said that – he put the blame squarely on Ukraine. He said Ukraine was pushed by those that espouse or claim to espouse certain values, meaning probably you and the West. Do you have any comment on that?
*MR PATEL:* I don’t.
*QUESTION:* Did you see that?
*MR PATEL:* I don’t, Said. I have not seen those comments. I will say from the U.S. Government perspective we’re continuing to assess what conclusively happened. But I will use this opportunity to note that I would take anything President Putin says with a grain of salt.
Jenny, go ahead. You had your hand up. Oh, yeah – anything else on this before we move away, on this topic?
*QUESTION:* Yes.
*MR PATEL:* Okay. I’ll come back to you, Jenny. Go ahead.
*QUESTION:* For a follow-up, President Erdogan proposed to establish an international commission to investigate the incident, and even he spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy. Any moment from the United States side that Secretary Blinken would call the new Turkish foreign minister to talk on this? Because Erdogan proposing that Türkiye and United Nations should involve with that commission. Any side from the United States?
*MR PATEL:* So first, to take a little bit of a step back, I don’t have any call to read out or preview for you. Of course, Türkiye is an important partner and NATO Ally. I know the Secretary looks forward to speaking with his new counterpart very soon. I don’t have a schedule or timeline to offer on when that will happen, other than he looks forward to doing it as soon as possible.
Beyond that, the United States is continuing to look into what happened, and we continue to remain in close touch with Ukrainian authorities on this. But I certainly don’t have anything to offer on any establishment of an international investigatory body or anything like that.
Okay.
*QUESTION:* Can I just pursue this?
*MR PATEL:* Sure.
*QUESTION:* Is the United States favorable in general to an international program on what happened?
*MR PATEL:* I think we’re getting a little cart before the horse here a little bit, Shaun. We’re still assessing what exactly transpired, and we are determining what steps we can take to support our Ukrainian partners and those who have been impacted and displaced by the flooding. And so I’m just certainly not going to get ahead of that process.
Anything else on this before we move away? Jenny, go ahead.
*QUESTION:* Following up on the Air India flight that was forced to land in Russia yesterday, do you have any updates on how many American citizens were on board, if there’s been any outreach from the State Department to those folks?
*MR PATEL:* So let me say a couple things. First, we understand that there were less than 50 U.S. citizens aboard that flight. We also understand that a relief aircraft is expected to arrive later today to assist the Air India flight and the passengers continue on with their route. I will defer to Air India to speak to any other specifics about their further movements and any of the technical issues.
We are not aware of any outreach from some of these American citizens to our embassy and consular officials in Russia, and so don’t have anything additional to offer.
*QUESTION:* And then separately, has there been any communication between officials in this building and the Canadian Government on the wildfires that are raging there that are affecting now the United States?
*MR PATEL:* Sure. So the U.S. is supporting Canada as it faces extreme wildfires, which based on our assessments is on track to be one of the largest natural disasters in Canadian history. Specifically, Jenny, and I will let some of these agencies speak more specifically to the work that they’re doing, but the U.S. Forest Service within the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior have provided 648 personnel as of June 7th to support Canada’s efforts to battle the ongoing wildfires. Additionally, several U.S. states and local municipalities are also providing support directly to Canadian provinces via agreements known as the Northwest and Northeast Compacts. But I will defer to our forest service and the Department of Interior to speak to anything more specific about —
*QUESTION:* So no communications from (inaudible) —
*MR PATEL:* I don’t have any calls or anything to read out, but certainly as a U.S. Government we are assisting, helping, engaging in the ways that we can.
Anything else on this before we move away? All right, Simon, go ahead.
*QUESTION:* A separate issue. On Sudan.
*MR PATEL:* Mm-hmm.
*QUESTION:* Firstly, I wonder if you have any update on the status of the talks in Jeddah, whether there’s any new kind of developments on that given the Secretary’s visit. But I also wanted to ask whether, since your colleague Matt had given us an update from the ceasefire monitoring team a couple weeks ago, I – or last week, I think it was – are you able to give us any sort of update on what the monitors are seeing in terms of potential – well, more than potential, but breaches of the ceasefire, especially given some reports of battles around an industrial complex in Khartoum close to fuel and gas depots? Are you able to sort of say what the —that monitoring mechanism is seeing at the moment?
*MR PATEL:* So I’m not going to get into some of the specifics of these monitoring mechanisms and the work that’s being undertaken from here. I will note, though – and he asked a similar question yesterday – our belief continues to be that a diplomatic solution is what is needed to resolve a conflict, not a military one. We have continued to press both sides. We have imposed visa restrictions, levied economic sanctions, updated our business advisories, and we stand ready to take further action as well.
It’s also our viewpoint that once parties take steps to demonstrate their commitment to the Jeddah declaration of principles we, along with our partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are prepared to resume facilitation of these talks. We continue to remain engaged deeply on this, and continue to remain deeply engaged specifically with the SAF and RSF.
*QUESTION:* But previously from the podium has – there had been this kind of statement about possible breaches of the ceasefire. Has – obviously, that’s something that was an ongoing process to look at that. Has there been any conclusion of – from the U.S. Government side – this group breached the ceasefire in this way?
*MR PATEL:* I don’t have any specific assessments to offer on that from here.
I’m going to work the – I’ll come back to you, Shaun. I promise. Go ahead, yeah.
*QUESTION: *Sorry, so just to confirm, peace talks have not resumed in Jeddah?
*MR PATEL: *We remain deeply engaged, but the formal resumption of talks has not yet taken place.
*QUESTION: *Okay, and on the trip to Saudi Arabia, are there any deliverables that you can kind of talk to you that that you’re hoping to achieve there?
*MR PATEL: *Well, I won’t get ahead of the Secretary, who will have the opportunity to have a press conference tomorrow, if I’m doing my math at the time difference correctly, from Riyadh. But you saw us put out reroutes both with for the – with the Secretary’s engagement with the crown prince and the foreign minister. And as you’ve heard us say previously, there is – of course continues to be a multiplicity of interests as it relates to our relationship with the kingdom, both continuing to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen, deepening collaboration on a number of areas whether it be security, cooperation, trade cooperation, addressing the climate crisis.
Of course, the kingdom has also played an integral role in the evacuation of American citizens as the violence in Sudan escalated. And they continue to be important partners as it relates to the Jeddah talks, and these are all things that I know that the Secretary raised and discussed in great deal with both the crown prince and the foreign minister. And he’s also there, of course, as you know, to take part in the engagements as it relates to the GCC and the D-ISIS ministerial. So I will let the Secretary say more over the duration of his trip.
Anything else on the region before we move away?
*QUESTION: *(Off-mike.)
*MR PATEL: *Let me go to Janne. I’ll come back to – actually, I’ll – go ahead, Diyar. Janne, I’ll come back to you.
*QUESTION: *Thank you.
*QUESTION: *Yeah. A pro-Iranian group, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, was to resume their struggle to expel the U.S. troops in Iraq, and saying in a statement that this time they are preparing for something way different and big. And also two more Lebanese Hizballah armed wings established in Iraq since last month. Does the U.S. takes these threats seriously? And how do you deal with the situation in Iraq that the Iranian proxies have seized the power in Baghdad on getting the state?
*MR PATEL: *So we of course take threats seriously, and our number one priority continues to be the safety of our personnel abroad. We also continue to be immensely concerned about Iranian influence, that undermines the stability and integrity of not just the region, but of Iraq’s sovereignty and its national institutions, as well as the well-being of the Iraqi people. We continue to support Iraq sovereignty and we continue to partner with Iraq to strengthen its state institutions as well.
*QUESTION: *One last question.
*MR PATEL: *Sure.
*QUESTION: *Bashar Assad of Syria is returning to the regional arena and going forward with normalizing its relations with the countries in the region. Does the U.S. supports the idea of the U.S.-backed Kurdish administration in Syria to – for a formal relations with Damascus and also to secure their future of the semi-autonomous region with Bashar Assad regime? How – have you given the Kurds green light to go back to Damascus?
*MR PATEL: * So we do not support the creation of a separate state in northeast Syria. We believe that durable stability in Syria and the greater region can only be achieved in a process that we believe represents the will of the Syrian people. And that is what is outlined through UN Security Council resolution 2254. The Secretary and others in this building have made our position quite clear that we don’t support normalization with the Assad regime without authentic progress that is consistent with resolution 2254.
Janne, go ahead.
*QUESTION: *Thank you, Vedant. Regarding the stability of contaminated water in Fukushima, Japan, what concerns do the United States have about the safety of this charge of radioactively contaminated water in Fukushima, Japan?
*MR PATEL: *I don’t have any specifics on this, Janne. I would have to check with the team and then we can get back with you.
*QUESTION: *(Off-mike.)
*MR PATEL: *We – it is of course something that we would continue to remain engaged on with our Japanese and ROK partners, but I’ll check with the team and see if we have anything specific.
*QUESTION: *But can you tell us the IAEA’s inspections for this?
*MR PATEL: *Yeah, I’m happy to check with the team and get back to you, Janne.
*QUESTION: *Okay, I have another one on the North Korea’s cyber hacking. And how is the U.S. responding to North Korea’s cryptocurrency and cyber hacking? And can you tell us more about its recent achievement (inaudible)?
*MR PATEL: *We – Janne, we have not hesitated to take action as it relates to any of the malign and destabilizing actions that the DPRK has taken, whether it be their ballistic missiles program but also other destabilizing and malign activities, whether it be its egregious violations of human rights but also threats in the cyber space as well. And we continue will to work in close coordination bilaterally and trilaterally with the ROK and Japan and will continue to do so.
Go ahead, in the back.
*QUESTION: *On Iran.
*MR PATEL: *Yeah.
*QUESTION: * "Haaretz" today reported, citing Israeli defense official, that an interim deal with Iran is imminent and it’s advancing faster than expected. Any reactions? Any explanation?
*MR PATEL: *I’m certainly not going to respond to rumors or leaks of diplomatic conversations, which of course have a tendency to be false and misleading. You have heard me, you’ve heard the Secretary, you’ve heard President Biden speak quite clearly that the U.S. is committed to never allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. We continue to believe that diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal on a verifiable and durable basis. The President has also been clear, as has the Secretary, that we’ve not removed any option from the table, and so I will just leave it at that.
*QUESTION: *Okay. An on board of the – board of governors meeting, in her statement, Laura Holgate, U.S. ambassador to Vienna, is saying that Marivan case – Marivan is one of those three suspicious sites – is not closed and the Iranian side explanation does not constitute a closure. What does this mean? And bottom line, what is your assessment of the latest IAEA report? Is Iran cooperating, they are not cooperating – because the statement is not what we were talking about few days ago when the quarterly report came out.
*MR PATEL: *So to take a step back, Director General Grossi’s latest report made clear that Iran continues to expand its nuclear activities in a way that have no credible civilian purpose. We believe the IAEA has undertaken extensive efforts to engage Iran on many of these longstanding questions related to safeguards, related to obligations. And we’re glad to see that the IAEA and Iran were able to come to an agreement to increase the frequency and intensity of inspections at Iran’s enrichment facilities. Still, cooperation from the Iranian regime remains significantly lacking, and it certainly falls short of the expectations that were outlined by the board in November. And so we continue to urge Iran to fully cooperate with the agency and the implementation of its commitment under the March joint statement with the IAEA.
Said.
*QUESTION: *Thank you. Moving onto the Palestinian —
*MR PATEL: *Sure.
*QUESTION: *— Israeli issue, I want to ask about the visa waiver —
*MR PATEL: *Okay.