French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, during a telephone conversation with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on August 23, touched upon the topic of sending a mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic in a widespread statement.
The diplomatic mission said that the conversation was held in continuation of the recent talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin and the French leader’s conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky shortly before.
“As Colonna stressed, France supports the rapid dispatch of a mission of IAEA experts in accordance with the recommendations of the director general of the organization,” the message says.
On August 22, Deputy Head of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Igor Vishnevetsky, indicated that the Russian side was counting on the coordination of the logistics of the trip of the IAEA mission led by Rafael Grossi to ZNPP in the very near future.
The day before, the White House press service reported that during a telephone conversation, US Presidents Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the need to stop the military escalation on the territory of the ZNPP.
The situation is complicated by the fact that on August 20, the power plant was again attacked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This time with 155mm NATO rounds. The administration of Energodar confirmed the presence of American fuses. The shells fell on the territory of the nuclear power plant near the administrative buildings. Critical infrastructure was not damaged.
Zaporozhye NPP was taken under the protection of Russian forces as part of a special operation to protect Donbass. As Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya noted on August 11 during a meeting of the UN Security Council, the withdrawal of the Russian military from the facility could turn into a disaster, since Kyiv could use the station for monstrous provocations.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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