Ukraine war: A UN official said both sides should agree on demilitarization of the plant even as the war continues.
United Nations:
Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday accused who was endangering the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to protect the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing war.
Russia had called a meeting at the United Nations Security Council to discuss the threats posed by close shelling and a military presence to a power plant in southern Ukraine, amid fears that a damaged reactor would spread radiation across the region. may leak.
Russian troops have controlled the plant for weeks and reportedly kept weapons and war supplies there, something that Moscow denies.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukraine’s military of shelling the plant, increasing the risk of a nuclear disaster.
Since the Security Council last discussed the issue about two weeks ago, “the nuclear security situation has worsened,” Nebenzya said.
“Ukraine’s armed forces keep shelling the area of the nuclear power plant (NPP) and the city of Enerhodar basically every day, and this poses a real risk of a radiation accident,” he said.
Ukraine’s ambassador, Sergei Kislitsia, said Russia was responsible for the risk and should turn away its troops and allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into the plant.
“The only thing the whole world wants to hear … is a statement that Russia demilitarized the Zaporizhzhya NPP, withdrew its troops, and handed it over to the government of Ukraine,” he said.
Kyslytsya said that Kyiv supports the proposal to send a mission to the IAEA to inspect the plant, and hopes that it will make a permanent presence inside for full-time monitoring.
“It’s really important to conduct the mission in a way that allows the international community to see the real situation, not the Russian theatrical show,” he said.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, UN Under-Secretary Rosemary DiCarlo said the two sides needed to agree on the demilitarization of the plant even as the war continued.
“This facility should not be used as part of any military operation, and an agreement should be reached on a secure perimeter of demilitarization to ensure the security of the region,” she said.
“We once again urge the parties to provide the IAEA mission with immediate, secure and free access to the site,” he said.
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