Former Secretary of State John Kerry appeared for an interview to express his regret that the war between Ukraine and Russia is distracting people from climate change.

Kerry, the special presidential envoy for climate, appeared on camera Monday to speak with BBC Arabic, where he decried the “massive emissions consequences to the war,” adding, “But equally importantly, you’re going to lose people’s focus. You’re going to lose certainly big country attention because they will be diverted. I think it could have a damaging impact.”