Zaporizhia power plant: the exchange of arms between Russians and Ukrainians continues before the UN Security Council
Russia and Ukraine again accused each other at a Security Council meeting on Tuesday of endangering the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, while the United Nations (UN) General Secretariat called on them to cease all military activity around the site.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces continue almost daily to bomb the territory of the nuclear power plant, creating a real risk of a radioactive accident with catastrophic consequences for the European continent as a whole”launched the Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, who had demanded this meeting of the Council.
He also called on Westerners to “stop covering for their Ukrainian protege”. “We have the impression that our colleagues live in a parallel reality in which the Russian army itself bombs the site it protects”he launched.
“No one can imagine that Ukraine would target a nuclear power plant creating a huge risk of nuclear disaster on its own territory”replied Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya. ” Once more, [la Russie] has the audacity to call a meeting of the Security Council to discuss its own provocations and its own terrorist actions”he added, considering that he had “wasted an hour listening to a slew of imaginary statements”.
The two countries both ensure that they are ready to allow access to a team of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the site, but the mission has still not been able to be scheduled.
“It is really important that this mission takes place so that the international community can see the reality and not a Russian play”, launched Sergiy Kyslytsya. His Russian counterpart is also counting on the IAEA to “confirm the reality of the situation”he said.
For her part, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, reiterated the need for both parties “to stop all military activity around the plant”. In the words of UN chief Antonio Guterres who called any attack on the plant a “suicidal”she called ” common sense “worrying about “almost daily news of alarming incidents” regarding the plant.
At the request of Washington, Paris and London in particular, another meeting of the Security Council is scheduled for Wednesday morning to mark the six months of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.