(Finance) – The Russian president, Vladimir Putingave his agreement to deploy an IAEA mission to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. This is what the presidency of the French Republic announces at the end of the phone call between Putin and the head of the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron.
This is the first meeting between Putin and Macron after the three-way meeting, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on 28 May. Macron – the Elysée said – expressed “once again to Putin his concern in the face of the risks for the situation at the Zaporizhzhia power plant for nuclear safety, supporting the sending of a mission of experts from the field as soon as possible. ‘Aiea, under conditions approved by Ukraine and the United Nations “. The Russian president – added the Elysée – “has expressed his agreement for the deployment of this mission and the methods mentioned”. The two presidents – specifies the French presidency – will talk again in the coming days on this issue after a confrontation between the teams of technicians and before the deployment of the mission “.
During the phone call – according to reports from the Kremlin, quoted by Tass – Putin, underlining the importance of sending an IAEA mission to control the situation at the nuclear power plant, warned that the bombing of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which the Russians charge in Kiev, put the risk of a “large-scale catastrophe”. Always today – during an online briefing – the Russian permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov he said that “the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is extremely alarming” and “what the Ukrainian army is doing with the bombing of this nuclear facility is absolutely unacceptable”.
While Kiev and Moscow accusing each other of dangerous bombing of the siteafter the appeal launched yesterday during the trilateral summit in Lviv with Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, he urged Russia not to disconnect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, manned by Russian forces, from the Ukrainian grid. “It is clear that the electricity in Zaporizhia is Ukrainian. This principle must be fully respected,” said Guterres during a visit to the Odessa port. Statements that come after the manager of the Ukrainian power plants Energoatom he said he feared Russia would disconnect Zaporizhzhia. “We have information that the Russian occupation forces are planning to shut down the power blocks of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and disconnect them from the Ukrainian electricity grid. Currently – reads the Energoatom note, reported by Ukrinform – the Russian army is looking of fuel supplies for diesel generators that should be turned on after the stop, to power the cooling systems “. Ukrainian intelligence also received new confirmation of reports of Russian preparations for a “large-scale provocation”.
“IS impossible to create a demilitarized zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plantbecause only Russian air defense systems protect it from disaster “replied one member of the board of the new military-civil administration of the region, Vladimir Rogov, quoted by Ria Novosti, thus rejecting the appeal of the UN secretary António Guterres who asked for the withdrawal of equipment and military personnel from the territory of Zaporizhzhia. “Demilitarizing the plant would make it even more vulnerable,” he added Ivan Nechayev, deputy director of the press department of the foreign ministry of Mosca.
Erdogan he reiterated that he will speak with Putin on the issue of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Turkish president said that Zelensky called for the removal of Russian mines from the area. “We will discuss the matter with Putin, above all we will ask that Russia play her part on this point, as an important step towards world peace”, said the Turkish president.
Concern was also expressed by the United States. “The United States – said the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price – I am aware of reports that the Russian military has mistreated the personnel of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. Price condemned “Russia’s reckless contempt for nuclear safety”.