Int'l commission could be formed to investigate Kakhovka dam collapse: Turkish president

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - An international commission could be established for a detailed investigation into the explosion at the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.

In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Erdogan said the commission can include the participation of experts from Russia, Ukraine, the UN, and the international community, including Türkiye, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

Türkiye is ready to do its best in this regard, Erdogan noted, also expressing that a negotiation method can be followed as in the Black Sea grain initiative.

Emphasizing that it will not be possible to prevent the human losses that occur every day as the conflicts continue, Erdogan told Zelenskyy that Türkiye will resolutely continue its efforts to establish peace between Russia and Ukraine.

An emergency was announced on both sides of the dam after the burst – one side is controlled by Russia, the other by Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused each other of damaging the Kakhovka dam, which led to the flooding of the neighboring settlements.

Moscow accused Ukraine of attempting to cut Crimea off the freshwater it receives from the Kakhovka Reservoir, formed by the dam, while Kyiv claimed that Russia tries to slow an expected counteroffensive.