German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blamed Russia for the attack on the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine on Tuesday, saying the long-feared move represented a new dimension in the conflict.
"By all accounts, this is aggression by the Russian side to stop the Ukrainian offensive, to defend its own country. This shows that this is a new dimension," Scholz said at a townhall organised by broadcaster RTL.
Scholz said he intended to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin again, although he had not done so for a long time and now was not the right time.
