According to the Elysée Vladimir Putin notably accepted that the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA) at the power station goes through Ukraine and not by Russia.
Le Monde with AFP
The two heads of state had not spoken since May 28. French President Emmanuel Macron, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, spoke by phone on Friday, August 19. The situation at the Zaporijia nuclear power plant, targeted for several days by strikes of which kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of being responsible, occupied a large part of their exchange.
The two presidents called, at the end of this interview, to organize “as soon as possible” an inspection of the power station by AIEA in order to assess the situation on site. According to the Elysée, Vladimir Putin notably agreed to “review the initial” requirement “of Russia about the mission of the IAEA at the Ukrainian power station, occupied by the Russians since early March, that the international community calls for its vows For months.
“He accepted that she [is there in respect of Ukrainian sovereignty and therefore passing by Ukraine under government control,” added the Elysée, stressing that it was of a request from kyiv as from Paris. “It is completely necessary, legitimate, essential for reasons of Ukrainian sovereignty,” insisted the French presidency. kyiv hitherto refused the arrival of the AIEA from Russia, lest this visit legitimate the Russian occupation of the power plant.
“It is out of the question that through the accomplished fait of the Russian occupation of a certain number of Ukrainian territories (…) The international community where the AIEA bring the slightest form of legitimacy to this occupation by passing by Russia, “added an advisor to President Macron.
calls to” demilitarize the power plant “
The sending of AIEA experts will require a “cease-fire”, “at least during the mission”, also noted the Elysée. “It is not easy to negotiate a cease-fire proper, but it is absolutely necessary to ensure that the mission of the IAEA will be able to take place in satisfactory physical security conditions,” said the presidential advisor.
The mission of the IAEA “will consist in making an assessment of the situation on the Zaporijia site and then prescribing those who have control of the power station the measures to be taken to ensure its safety,” said the presidency . If the Elysée said that the agency could go “very quickly to the site”, Paris did not specify a calendar. It remains to be seen whether these Russian commitments will be followed by effect.
During this exchange, Vladimir Putin said he feared that the bombings will end up causing a “disaster”. “The systematic bombing (…) of the territory of the Zaporijia nuclear power plant creates a danger of large-scale disaster which could lead to the radioactive contamination of vast territories”, he warned.
The day before in Lviv, where he met the Ukrainian presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said a “new Chernobyl”, believing that “any potential damage to Zaporijia would be a suicide “and exhorting to” demilitarize the power plant “.