Russia urges US, EU to force Ukraine to stop attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia calls on the US, EU, and other countries to stop the intrigues around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and force Kyiv to stop the shelling of the station, the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.

In a statement published on the ministry's website, Zakharova said the Western countries lowered themselves to "open lies" and that they accused Russia of posing threats to the power plant.

She said the EU statement, "full of anti-Russian attacks and twisted facts," was made when Ukraine was carrying out blows at the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"Western countries once again descend to open lies, claiming that Russia creates threats to the NPP. Obviously, this contradicts the facts that we have repeatedly cited, including within the walls of the (UN) Security Council.

"It is indisputable that the strikes on the station and the power plant are carried out by Ukrainian armed formations acting on orders from Kyiv. These strikes continued even while the EU delegates in Vienna were collecting signatures for their statement."

Zakharova noted the limited number of participants of the EU statement, explaining it by the lack of support of the European position among the global society, and stressed that the Western countries put the anti-Russian approach above the issues of non-proliferation and nuclear security.

"The West once again puts Russophobic foreign policy views above objectivity, nonproliferation, and nuclear security objectives. It is clear what all their previous oaths of commitment to the international legal framework in the nuclear field are worth. It is also clear what the world would be like if international law in this area was replaced by a 'rules-based world order'," she noted.

Zakharova called on Washington and Brussel, "and all other capitals" to stop "irresponsible games and intrigues" around the Zaporizhzhia NPP and make the Ukrainian authorities stop strikes on it.

She also urged the EU to stop issuing statements aiming to bring political scores and start creating conditions for a visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission to the plant.

"We strongly condemn attempts to obstruct this mission. In close cooperation with the (International Atomic Energy) Agency and its leadership, we will do everything necessary for the IAEA specialists to be at the station and give a truthful assessment of the destructive actions of the Ukrainian side," Zakharova said.