The President of Ukraine called on the G20 countries to force the Russian Federation to abandon any threats with nuclear weapons.
In front of the eyes of the whole world, Russia has turned the Zaporizhzhya NPP into an atomic bomb that can explode at any moment, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said during a video speech at the G20 summit. He once again stated that the aggressor country should withdraw its troops from the territory of the plant, and the IAEA should send its missions to all Ukrainian nuclear power plants.
“No one has the right to blackmail the world with a radiation catastrophe. This is an axiom… Where will the radiation cloud go? Is it possible to enter the EU? Maybe to Turkey or the Middle East? I consider criminal even the hypothetical possibility of such a scenario! Radiation safety must be restored,” Zelenskyi said.
He reminded that the IAEA has submitted all relevant recommendations. The organization confirmed all the risks associated with the stay of Russians at the ZNPP, which Ukraine has repeatedly stated.
“Russia must immediately withdraw all its militants from the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the plant must be immediately handed over to the control of the IAEA and Ukrainian personnel. The normal connection of the station to the power grid should be restored now, so that nothing threatens the stability of the reactors,” the president said.
Read also: IAEA recorded “shocking” damage from shelling of the nuclear facility in Kharkiv
Zelensky noted that Ukraine offered to send IAEA missions to all Ukrainian nuclear plants. There are four of them in total, that is, a total of 15 atomic blocks. Zelenskyi also reminded about the Chornobyl NPP, which has been shut down and mothballed.
“Such missions can verify that any hostile activity against Ukrainian nuclear facilities has really been stopped,” the president explained.
Zelensky said that the Russian Federation could start withdrawing its troops from the territory of the ZNPP as early as tomorrow, if the aggressor country is really ready to restore nuclear security, which it itself violated.
“The same applies to the crazy threats with nuclear weapons that Russian officials resort to. There are and cannot be any excuses for nuclear blackmail. And I thank you, dear G19, for making this clear. But please use all your power to force Russia to abandon any threats with nuclear weapons,” said Zelenskyi.
Volodymyr Zelenskyi believes that the basis of such efforts can be the Budapest Memorandum and the relevant capabilities of states. -signatories.
Read also: China began to criticize the Kremlin's nuclear threats – Reuters
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