Putting Ukraine’s allies on the spot

The destruction of Ukraine’s giant dam drew widespread condemnation. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( The floodwaters from the destruction of Ukraine’s giant Kakhovka dam may begin receding as early as today, but the political fallout is spreading far beyond the Dnipro River basin. Not all of Kyiv’s allies were as categorical as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in blaming Russia for the breach — at least publicly — even as they were quick to pledge more backing. “We’re not leaving,” US President Joe Biden said, underlining his commitment to supporting Ukraine’s high-stakes counteroffensive to oust Russia’s occupying forces even as opposition among Republicans grows to continuing the costly financing of the war effort. Key Reading: [Dam Destroyed in the Dead of Night Upstages Ukraine’s Offensive]( [Biden Vows Help After Ukraine Dam Blast: ‘We’re Not Leaving’]( [McCarthy Opposes Expedited Ukraine Funding Pushed by GOP Hawks]( Follow our [Ukraine Recap]( for continuing coverage. European leaders echoed Biden’s message, though some were more explicit in condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin for wreaking further havoc on Ukraine’s civilian population. A Chinese spokesperson expressed deep concern about the humanitarian consequences of the blast. Russia, which has occupied the dam and its hydroelectric plant for more than a year, denied responsibility. But the destruction caused by the torrent that flooded towns and villages and threatened supplies of cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, only adds to the challenges facing Ukraine’s military on the battlefield. Zelenskiy needs more than pledges of solidarity as his forces step up probing attacks against heavily dug-in Russian troops across hundreds of miles of front lines in Ukraine’s east and south. He’s seeking F-16 fighter jets to help challenge Russia in the air, but so far the US has been cautious about letting its allies provide them. And he wants solid commitments rather than vague assurances from NATO leaders at their summit next month to help ensure Ukraine’s security long after the current wave of support has passed. As the floodwaters recede, how much further Zelenskiy’s allies are willing to back him largely depends on how successfully his troops can retake Ukraine’s land from Russia in the weeks ahead.  —[Gregory White]( A resident makes her way through a flooded street in Kherson. Photographer: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo Check out the latest [Washington Edition newsletter](. You can [sign up]( to get it in your inbox every weekday. And if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Top Headlines The destruction of the dam has opened up a new threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant because it supplies [critical cooling water]( to the cores of the site’s six reactors and for the ponds where spent fuel rods are stored. Yet as Will Wade writes, the complex probably has enough water for many weeks and since the reactors have all been shut down for months, the fuel is no longer hot enough to catch fire. This satellite image shows bush fires outside of the main facilities at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Aug. 29, 2022. Source: Maxar Technologies The explosion unleashed an [enormous environmental disaster]( that cut freshwater and electricity supplies for millions of people, flooded dozens of towns and spilled at least 150 tons of machine oil into the Dnipro River. Laura Millan explains that the impact could burden Ukraine’s southern region for decades. A flooded street in Kherson yesterday.  Source: AFP/Getty Images Read this explainer from Marc Champion and Kateryna Choursina about the potential [consequences]( of the dam disaster for Ukraine’s military offensive, as well as the reaction of markets to the flooding and a separate Russian strike that damaged a key ammonia pipeline. If Russia’s invasion was supposed to weaken the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and stop its eastward expansion — one rationalization offered by Putin — [it backfired](. As Natalia Drozdiak reports, rather than exploit tensions within the alliance, Russia’s war strengthened and enlarged it. News From Elsewhere An information crackdown in China has already stoked investor concern, but another key data source has become [mysteriously rarer](: readouts from meetings of the nation’s 24 most-powerful men. After sealing another five-year term as Turkey’s president on May 28 to extend his two decades in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned to 56-year-old former banker Mehmet Simsek to [serve as a gateway]( to the financial capitals of Dubai, London and New York. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will seek [closer economic ties]( with the US during his first visit as leader to the White House, even as Biden’s administration maintains a freeze on talks on a free-trade agreement. Life is slowly returning [to normal]( in the Mozambican town of Palma, two years after residents fled in fear as Islamic State-linked rebels rampaged through its streets, killed dozens of people and forced TotalEnergies to shut a nearby $20 billion natural gas project. The port at Mocímboa da Praia is getting a $30 million face-lift to prepare for the restart of the project. Photographer: Matthew Hill/Bloomberg Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Politics newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](