Russia’s attack on a Ukrainian nuclear site posed “an immense threat to all of Europe and the world”, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council on Friday, Russia denying any responsibility in this event.
• Read also: [EN DIRECT] 9th day of war in Ukraine: here are all the developments
• Read also: NATO rejects the creation of a no-fly zone in Ukraine
• Read also: The Russian army takes a nuclear power plant, Ukraine lives “hell”
“Thank God, the world escaped a nuclear catastrophe” in the night, added the American ambassador, calling this attack “irresponsible” and “dangerous”. “Not only (Vladimir Putin) did not listen” to calls to stop his invasion of Ukraine, “but we have just witnessed a new dangerous escalation which poses an immense threat to all of Europe and the world” , said the diplomat.
His Russian counterpart, Vassily Nebenzia, dismissed Ukraine and Western claims that Moscow was responsible for the attack, calling them “lies”. They are “part of a campaign of lies” against Moscow, he asserted.
The Russian diplomat also assured that Ukraine was responsible for the fire which then broke out at the Zaporozhye nuclear site in southern Ukraine.
Vassily Nebenzia, however, acknowledged that fighting involving Russian soldiers was taking place in the area concerned. But he spoke of exchanges of fire between “light weapons” which did not, according to him, include bombardments. He claimed that the security of the nuclear site was assured, asking Westerners to “calm down”.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, in a new tense exchange with his Russian counterpart, asked him to “stop telling lies”. “Are you in touch with your capital? he asked, surprised at the assertions made by the Russian ambassador.
Ukrainian nuclear safety inspectors are “denied access” to the Zaporozhye nuclear site, denounced the Ukrainian diplomat.
Sergiy Kyslytsya said he formally requested in a letter to the UN to establish a no-fly zone for his country, reaffirming that “residential areas were reduced to ruins” and that “peaceful civilians were killed”.
Because of Russia’s right of veto in the Security Council, there is no chance for this body to establish such a no-fly zone, already excluded by NATO.
“Oil on the Fire”
“The international community should keep a cool head and stay rational,” added Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun. “We must not throw oil on the fire”, he added, calling for dialogue.
During the urgent session of the Council, requested by the United Kingdom, British Ambassador Barbara Woodward stressed that there was no doubt: it was “Russian forces (who) attacked” Zaporozhye, which is home to the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
At the start of the session, Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, stressed that “attacks against nuclear sites are contrary to international humanitarian law”.
For his part, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), during a live video link from a plane en route to Tehran, underlined the “importance” of the fortnight nuclear power plants located in Ukraine.
He repeated that he was ready to go to Ukraine on nuclear sites and specified that he had requested it from Ukraine and Russia, which was “studying” it. This mission of the IAEA would be limited to the “safety” of the sites, without political intervention, he argued.
Zaporozhye was hit overnight from Thursday to Friday by Russian artillery strikes according to the Ukrainians. Buildings annexed to the plant were affected by a fire.
On Friday, the Russian army occupied the plant. The Ukrainian regulator said the fire, which affected a laboratory and a training building, had been extinguished and no radioactive leak had been detected.