SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Zelensky calls on UN to 'ensure security' of nuclear plant
Lviv, Ukraine, Aug 18 (AFP) Aug 18, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on the United Nations to ensure security at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, where increased fighting has raised fears of a nuclear incident.

"The UN must ensure the security of this strategic object, its demilitarisation and complete liberation from Russian troops," Zelensky said in a statement after meeting UN chief Antonio Guterres in Lviv.

The Ukrainian leader also criticised "deliberate" Russian attacks on the facility.

Ukraine and Russia have been accusing each other of targeting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant -- the biggest in Europe -- which Russia seized last March.

Tensions around the power plant have fuelled global fears of a nuclear disaster.

The two leaders also discussed grain exports, after a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey allowed their resumption this month.

Exports had been blocked following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We agreed to continue the coordination of the grain initiative implementation. We also discussed the possible directions of its development," Zelensky said.

The first ship to depart under the deal left Ukraine on August 1. Since then, 25 cargo ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports.

Russia and Ukraine are two of the world's biggest grain exporters. The halt of exports led to price increases globally amid fears of widespread food shortages, particularly in poor countries.

Zelensky and Guterres also spoke about deportations of Ukrainians to Russia, and about the release of military staff and medics taken prisoner by Russia, according to Zelensky.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Interference to astronomy the unintended consequence of faster internet
Russian rocket puts Iran satellite into space: Iran media
Viasat unveils IoT Nano service for global low-power connectivity

24/7 Energy News Coverage
NASA's X-59 moves under its own power
Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 bn over marine disaster
More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
New MachLab rocket test site launches UK into next phase of space engineering
Ukraine's anti-graft body says new bill restores independence
Iran meets European powers amid threats of UN sanctions snapback

24/7 News Coverage
Australia's mammal megafauna face long-term decline from extinctions and invasive species
Alien life clues may emerge from deep sea volcanic vents on Earth
Seismic signatures reveal fragmentation patterns of fireball meteoroids



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.