President Putin has agreed to “revise Moscow’s (initial) request” for such a mission to pass through Russia, the French presidency announced after Emmanuel Macron’s phone conversation with the Russian president, their first since May 28.
Vladimir Putin has accepted the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control in southern Ukraine and is the target of repeated bombings, to go through Ukraine rather than Russia, the Elysee announced today. .
President Putin has agreed to “revise Moscow’s (initial) request” for such a mission to pass through Russia, the French presidency announced after Emmanuel Macron’s phone conversation with the Russian president, their first since May 28.
“(Putin) accepted the mission to go there in the context of respecting Ukrainian sovereignty and therefore passing Ukraine under government control,” the Elysée added, stressing that this was a demand of Kiev as well as Paris.
“It is absolutely necessary, legal, necessary for reasons of Ukrainian sovereignty,” the French presidency said.
“It is not even discussed that through the fait accompli of the Russian occupation of a certain number of Ukrainian territories (…) the international community or the IAEA brings the slightest form of legitimacy to this occupation through Russia,” an adviser to President Macron insisted.
The presidents of Russia and France requested, at the end of this conversation, that an inspection of the Zaporizhia power station by the International Atomic Energy Agency be organized “as soon as possible” to assess the situation on the ground.
The power plant, which was seized in early March, has been the target of bombings since late July for which Moscow and Kyiv blame each other.
The mission of IAEA experts will also require a “ceasefire,” “at least for the duration of the mission,” the Elysee noted.
“It is not simple to negotiate a ceasefire as such but you must absolutely ensure that the mission of the IAEA can be carried out in satisfactory conditions of physical security,” said the presidential adviser
“This requires a cessation of hostilities at least for the duration of the mission and if possible, and we sincerely hope so, beyond so that we can all have visibility into the future and be confident that Zaporizhia Station is a safe place,” he added. .
“We hope that the IAEA will move as quickly as possible to this part,” Elysée added without elaborating on the timetable, adding that France is ready to offer its expertise in this area.
“France is ready to contribute at a technical and political level to the success of this mission by providing its expertise,” the French presidency underlined.
The IAEA’s mission “will be to assess the situation at the Zaporizhia site and then prescribe to those in control of the plant the measures to be taken to guarantee its safety,” he added.
RES-EMP
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