The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

War in Ukraine: Putin and Macron agree to send IAEA experts to inspect the Zaporizhia power plant

2022-08-19T15:06:21.403Z


The Russian and French presidents called, during their first telephone conversation since May, to organize a visit to the plant by the IAEA “as soon as possible”.


Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron called in a telephone interview on Friday to organize "

as soon as possible

" an inspection of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, target of bombing.

To discover

  • Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application

The two leaders "

raised the importance of sending a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the nuclear power plant as soon as possible, which will be able to assess the situation on the spot

", indicated the Kremlin, specifying that the interview had taken place on the initiative of Emmanuel Macron.

The Russian side has confirmed that it is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to the inspectors of the

atomic” Agency, according to the same source.

Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Zaporijjia, the powerhouse of all dangers

The French presidency, for its part, declared that Emmanuel Macron had "

supported the dispatch on the spot as soon as possible of a mission of experts from the IAEA, under conditions approved by Ukraine and the United Nations

".

The two heads of state must talk to each other again "

in the coming days on this subject after exchanges between the technical teams and before the deployment of the mission

", according to the Elysée.

During this interview, Putin also "

underlined that the systematic bombardment (...) of the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant creates a danger of large-scale disaster which could lead to the radioactive contamination of vast territories

", of after the Kremlin.

For his part, Macron said "

once again his concern about the risks posed by the situation at the Zaporijjia power plant for nuclear safety and security

", indicated the Elysée.

The specter of Chernobyl

Located in southern Ukraine and controlled by Russian forces, the Zaporizhia power plant, the largest in Europe, has been bombed several times in recent weeks, with Moscow and kyiv accusing each other of these strikes.

This situation has raised the specter of a major disaster similar to that of Chernobyl in 1986. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres asked Moscow on Friday not to cut the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian network, which feared by the kyiv authorities.

Putin and Macron had not called each other since May 28.

Previously, the French president had telephone conversations with his Russian counterpart in early May, early March and five times in February in the midst of rising tensions until the Kremlin offensive in Ukraine on February 24.

He had also traveled in person to Moscow on February 7 to meet Putin.

These multiple contacts have earned Emmanuel Macron criticism, some accusing him of having maintained regular exchanges with the head of the Kremlin without managing to prevent the launch of an offensive against Ukraine.

Read alsoIn Ukraine, the separatists who fought alongside the Russians tried for “state treason”

On Friday, the two presidents also discussed an agreement signed in Istanbul last month to unblock Ukrainian grain exports. Moscow is demanding in exchange the lifting of restrictions on its exports of agricultural products and fertilizers, affected by Western sanctions aimed at Russia since the launch of its offensive against Ukraine.

On Friday, Putin "

highlighted the obstacles that remain in front of Russian exports, which does not contribute to a solution to the problems relating to world food security

", according to the Kremlin.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2022-08-19

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.