Russia and Ukraine are not conducting any direct negotiations on the issue of creating a security zone around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), and it is untimely to say that the parties are close to an agreement. About it “RIA News” On December 5, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova made the corresponding statement in response to a request to comment on the words of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi that Moscow and Kyiv are approaching an agreement on the creation of a safe zone around the ZNPP.
The diplomat, in turn, noted that it was not timely to talk about this and drew attention to the fact that the parties are not conducting any direct negotiations.
“We are discussing the possible parameters of the declaration on the creation of a zone of protection of nuclear and physical, nuclear safety of ZNPP with the IAEA Secretariat, which, in turn, is trying to interact with Ukraine,” Zakharova explained.
According to her, now the question in principle is whether Kyiv is ready to commit itself to stop shelling and attempts to seize the ZNPP. And will the IAEA be able to achieve the implementation of such hypothetical agreements by Ukraine.
Earlier, on December 3, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he intended to discuss the situation around the ZNPP with Russian leader Vladimir Putin by phone in the near future. He stressed that the future security architecture in Europe should include guarantees for Moscow.
In turn, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that there is no exact date for telephone conversations between the presidents of Russia and France.
On November 24, Grossi said that negotiations on the organization of a security zone at the ZNPP are moving forward, but it is difficult for the parties to reach an agreement on the parameters due to the fact that the facility is located in a combat zone.
On November 21, the Kremlin called on Western countries to influence Ukraine to stop the shelling of the ZNPP. The day before, Renat Karchaa, adviser to the general director of Rosenergoatom, said that Ukrainian militants had carried out 15 strikes on the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Zaporozhye NPP is the largest NPP in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity. Moscow emphasized that 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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