Ukraine war: Both sides must agree on the demilitarization of the plant even if the war continues, UN official says.
United Nation:
Russia and Ukraine made accusations on Tuesday of who was endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to isolate the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing war.
Russia has convened a meeting at the United Nations Security Council to discuss the dangers posed by close-range shelling and military presence to a power plant in southern Ukraine, amid concerns that a nuclear reactor could be damaged. A damaged reactor could leak radiation throughout the area.
The Russian military has controlled the plant for weeks and is said to have placed weapons and war supplies there, which Moscow denies.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant, increasing the risk of a nuclear disaster.
Since the Security Council last discussed the issue nearly two weeks ago, “the nuclear safety situation has deteriorated,” Nebenzya said.
“Ukrainian armed forces basically continue to attack the territory of the nuclear power plant (NPP) and the town of Enerhodar every day, and this creates a real risk of accidents,” he said. radiation”.
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s ambassador, countered that Russia was responsible for the risk and must pull its troops away and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency into the plant.
“The only thing the whole world wants to hear … is the statement that Russia demilitarizes NPP Zaporizhzhia, withdraws its troops and hands it over to the Ukrainian government,” he said.
Kyslytsya said Kyiv supports the proposal that the IAEA send a delegation to inspect the plant and hopes they will be present inside to monitor it full-time.
“It’s really important to conduct the mission in a way that allows the international community to see the real situation, not a Russian theatrical performance,” he said.
Speaking at the start of the meeting, UN Undersecretary Rosemary DiCarlo said both sides need to agree on the demilitarization of the plant even if the war continues.
“The facility is not to be used as part of any military operation and an agreement on a safe demilitarized perimeter should be reached to ensure the safety of the area,” she said.
“We again urge all parties to provide the IAEA mission with immediate, secure and uncensored access to the website,” she said.
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