Zakharova: US ships passing through Taiwan Strait another provocation

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The passage of US warships through the Taiwan Strait was observed as provocatory behavior by Moscow which regarded it as intentional to destabilize the situation in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"We regard the passage of two US ships across the Taiwan Strait on August 28 as a new provocation, as part of a chain of provocations aimed at containing Beijing, putting additional pressure on it, and destabilizing the situation as a whole," Zakharova stated in a press briefing.

The guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville set sail on Sunday "through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law," according to the US 7th Fleet. 

A spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), Shi Yi, said that same day that the Chinese armed forces are on high alert to halt any provocations after the US Navy cruisers went through the Taiwan Strait. However, Taiwan has vowed to take "counter-attack" measures in case China enters its territory, as it announced firing warning shots at a Chinese drone over its region.

IAEA-ZNPP mission expected to stop Kiev From committing catastrophe

According to Zakharova, Moscow has hopes that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), currently a target of the Ukrainian forces, will help stop Kiev from instigating a catastrophe, as well as stop it from nuclear blackmail.

"We hope that the visit of IAEA experts to the nuclear power plant planned for today will help stop the Ukrainian authorities in their desire to provoke a nuclear catastrophe and stop nuclear blackmail," Zakharova told reporters.

Ukrainian forces launched a missile attack yesterday on Enerhodar near the ZNPP, using a minimum of 20 large-caliber artillery shells. Enerhodar's authorities look to give the IAEA mission the shells that were fired at the residents by the Ukrainian military, according to Enerhodar's administrative authorities. 

Earlier, the director of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said the agency needs to determine the parameters of its mission to the Zaparozhye NPP, underlining that his agency may establish a permanent presence there, which has been the center of contention with Russia.

Issue of procuring Iranian drones not on agenda of Lavrov-Amir-Abdollahian talks

On the topic of the procurement of Iranian drones, Zakharova confirmed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will not discuss the matter during a meeting on Wednesday, adding, "The purchase of drones was not discussed during the meetings of the Russian president with the Iranian leadership in Tehran on July 19. This topic is not on the agenda of today's negotiations between the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran."