Macron, Putin discuss setting up IAEA inspectors visit of ZNPP

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Aug 2022 17:51

Putin spoke to Macron about the dangers associated with the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP.

A still image taken a handout video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry's press service shows damage at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station (ZNPP) in Enerhodar, southeastern Ukraine, 7 August 2022 (Handout image/EPA/EFE)

French President Emmanuel Macron called Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin revealed on Friday.

"At the initiative of the French side, a phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron took place," the statement says.

During the conversation, Putin told Macron that the shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) by Ukrainian forces creates the danger of a catastrophe.

"Various aspects of the situation around Ukraine were discussed. Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that the systematic shelling by the Ukrainian military of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant creates the risk of a large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radiation contamination of vast territories," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin likewise confirmed Russia's readiness to provide IAEA inspectors with necessary assistance during their visit to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"The Russian side confirmed its readiness to provide the Agency's inspectors with the necessary assistance," the statement says.

In March, Russian forces took full control of the NPP; the Kherson region and most of the Zaporozhye region in Ukraine are now controlled by Russian military forces and local military-civilian administrations that have been formed there.

Since then, Ukraine has waged several attacks on the plant. On July 20, three Kamikaze drones belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeted the Zaporozhye NPP. A second attack occurred on August 5, which caused two electricity transmission lines to be cut off.

Over 10,000 inhabitants from the region have been left without power and water due to the aggression.

The head of the Zaporozhye region, Yevhen Balytskyi, said on August 11 that the authorities were prepared to host IAEA experts and ensure their safety. But the UN has been preventing this visit from happening, claiming Moscow has been using the plant maliciously, which Russia repeatedly denied.

On Tuesday, six power line poles with connections to the Kursk nuclear power plant (NPP) in western Russia were blown up by the Ukrainian saboteurs, and on Thursday, Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, confirmed that Ukraine is preparing a provocation at the power plant during the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Ukraine that is scheduled today.

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and discussed of the fighting surrounding the nuclear reactor to which he said any damage inflicted on the plant would be "suicide".