Vladimir Putin accepted the arrival of an international mission to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant passing through Ukraine, according to the Elysée – Le Monde

Satellite images of the Zaporizhia power plant, on which kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of carrying out strikes, on August 19, 2022. AP The two heads of state had not spoken to each other since May 28. French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone on Friday August 19. The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, targeted for several days by strikes for 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 meeting, to organize “as soon as possible” an inspection of the plant by the IAEA in order to assess the situation on site. According to the Elysée Palace, Vladimir Putin notably agreed to “review Russia’s initial demand for the IAEA mission at the Ukrainian power plant, occupied by the Russians since the beginning of March, which the international community is calling for. for months. Read also: War in Ukraine, live: Emmanuel Macron calls on the French to “agree to pay the price of our freedom” “He accepted that it [s’y] return with respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and therefore passing through Ukraine under government control, ”added the Elysée, stressing that it was a request from kyiv as well as from Paris. “It is completely necessary, legitimate, essential for reasons of Ukrainian sovereignty”, insisted the French presidency. kyiv has so far refused the visit of the IAEA from Russia, for fear that this visit would legitimize the Russian occupation of the plant. “It is out of the question that through the fait accompli of the Russian occupation of a certain number of Ukrainian territories (…) the international community or the IAEA bring the slightest form of legitimacy to this occupation by passing through Russia added an adviser to President Macron. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers War in Ukraine: intimidation and blackmail around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant Calls to “demilitarize the plant” The dispatch of IAEA experts will require a “ceasefire”, “at least the time of the mission”, also noted the Elysée. “It is not easy to negotiate a ceasefire as such, but it is absolutely necessary to ensure that the IAEA mission can take place under satisfactory physical security conditions”, underlined the presidential adviser. The IAEA’s mission “will consist in making an assessment of the situation on the Zaporijia site and then in prescribing to those who have control of the plant the measures to be taken to ensure its safety”, specified the presidency. If the Elysée Palace said it wanted the Agency to be able to go “very quickly to the site”, Paris did not specify a timetable. It remains to be seen whether these Russian commitments will be followed up. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers War in Ukraine: the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant taken hostage by the Russian army During this exchange, Vladimir Putin said he feared that the bombings would end up causing a “catastrophe”. “The systematic bombardment (…) of the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant creates the danger of a large-scale disaster which could lead to the radioactive contamination of vast territories”, he warned. The day before, in Lviv, where he met Ukrainian Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, had said he feared a “new Chernobyl”, considering that “any potential damage in Zaporijia would be a suicide” and urging to “demilitarize the plant”. The World with AFP