Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia allows UN to inspect Zaporizhia nuclear plant

Russia-Ukraine conflict: Russia allows UN to inspect Zaporizhia nuclear plant

Russian President Vladimir Putin says UN officials will be allowed to inspect and access the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.

The Kremlin's announcement was made after a phone call between President Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron.

The announcement came at a time when claims of clashes near the plant continued and four civilians were injured due to Russian shelling.

On the other hand, the United States has reiterated sending more weapons for military assistance to Ukraine on Friday.

The statement, issued after a call between the French and Russian presidents, said UN officials had agreed to provide "necessary assistance" regarding access to the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.

Russia seized the facility in March, one of the first locations occupied by Russian troops since the invasion of Ukraine.

The region has come under heavy artillery fire in recent weeks, with both Kiev and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.

The Kremlin said that "both leaders agreed on the importance" of sending IAEA experts to the plant to assess "what the current situation is."

The Director General of the IAEA welcomed Putin's statement and said that he is ready to visit the plant himself.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has welcomed this possible inspection, but has also said that specific details are still being reviewed.

He said that 'if Russia's blackmail in this regard continues, this summer may be the most tragic in the history of several European countries.'

Any harm to Zaporizhzhia would be tantamount to suicide.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns about the safety of the Zaporizhia plant after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" by the fighting near the Zaporizhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.

Guterres warned that "any damage to Zaporizhia would be tantamount to suicide."

It was the first meeting between Zielinski and Guterres since April.

Turkish President Erdogan also expressed similar concerns. He told reporters that he was worried about the risk of "another Chernobyl" at the plant.

The three leaders urged the Russians to withdraw troops from the zone as soon as possible. Earlier, the foreign ministers of the G7 alliance said that Russia should immediately hand over control of the plant to Qiu. While the United States demanded the establishment of a demilitarized zone in the area around the plant.

A spokesman for the US State Department said that fighting near a nuclear plant is dangerous and irresponsible.

Moscow has been accused of turning the facility into a military base, a claim Russia denies.

Prepare for worst-case scenario of workers trapped in power plant

Workers at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant are preparing for the worst. The power plant has six pressurized water reactors and also has several stores of radioactive waste.

The The Time News Toady's James Waterhouse visited a supermarket car park near the site of the power plant which had been converted into a training ground.

"Emergency workers are dressed in yellow protective suits," says our correspondent. They are practicing radiation cleanup.'

"Senior officials are monitoring the drill, they want to know how prepared the area will be to deal with the worst-case scenario."

Ukraine hopes to recapture Kherson

Kherson was the first major city in Ukraine to fall to Russian forces six months ago, but Ukrainians now hope to retake it.

Ukraine and its allies have been saying for the past month that retaliation is intensifying in the Kherson region, with Major General Dmytro Marchenko telling the The Time News Today that Ukrainian forces are aiming to retake the key city west of the Dnipro River. To occupy.

And in this case no major attack is likely but small drone units can play an important role.