Calls For Restraint As Attacks Continue Near Ukraine Power Plant News About Nuclear Power

The leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany appealed for restraint around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine as artillery shells continued to rain down on a town near the facility. In a statement on Sunday, the White House said the four leaders spoke by phone and discussed the situation in Zaporizhia, “including the need to avoid military operations near” the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke of the importance of a visit to the nuclear facility by independent inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as soon as possible. added. An escalation of fighting around the nuclear plant, with both sides accusing each other of attacks, has raised the specter of a disaster worse than Chernobyl. The world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred in 1986, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the capital Kiev, when an explosion in the plant’s fourth reactor sent plumes of radiation across much of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that the consequences of a radioactive accident in Zaporizhzhia “could be even more devastating than Chernobyl and essentially the same as the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, but without a nuclear strike.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week he was “gravely concerned” about the situation around the facility, reiterating his call for the plant to be demilitarized. Russia meanwhile accused Ukraine of preparing a “provocation” at the site that would see Moscow “accused of creating a man-made disaster at the plant”. Amid clashes and tensions, the French presidency said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed that IAEA inspectors could travel to the nuclear plant for an inspection. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said the four leaders are likely to have discussed Macron’s conversation with Putin, as well as contingency plans for a potential disaster in Zaporizhia. “If the worst happens, if there’s a malfunction at the plant, if there’s a radioactive plume and it drifts into a NATO country, what are they going to do? They probably talked about it. Remember, Article 5 of the NATO charter says that a direct attack on any NATO country means that NATO is immediately involved in war. So, would a radioactive plume be considered a direct attack in this country?’ Culhane said. The leaders issued a reading of their conversation as a message to the Kremlin and Putin that “this issue is an issue that these leaders take very seriously,” Culhane said, and was intended to “send a message that they are working on what answer would be”. The White House said that during their talks on Sunday, Biden, Johnson, Scholz and Macron “reaffirmed their continued support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend against a Russian nuclear attack.” The call by the four leaders came as Ukrainian officials reported shelling of Nikopol, a city near Zaporizhia, overnight. Nikopoli was bombed on five separate occasions overnight, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. He said 25 artillery shells hit the city, setting fire to an industrial site and cutting power to 3,000 residents. Local authorities also reported rocket attacks overnight in Ukraine’s Odesa region, home to ports critical to a UN-brokered plan to help Ukrainian agricultural exports reach global markets again. Five Russian Kalibr cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea into the region overnight, a spokesman for the regional command said, citing information from the southern military command. Two were shot down by Ukrainian air defense and three hit agricultural targets, but there were no casualties. Russia said on Sunday that the missiles destroyed an ammunition depot containing missiles for US-made HIMARS missiles. Kyiv said a granary was hit.

title: “Calls For Restraint As Attacks Continue Near Ukraine Power Plant News About Nuclear Power " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Jason Brink”

The leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany appealed for restraint around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine as artillery shells continued to rain down on a town near the facility. In a statement on Sunday, the White House said the four leaders spoke by phone and discussed the situation in Zaporizhia, “including the need to avoid military operations near” the plant, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke of the importance of a visit to the nuclear facility by independent inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as soon as possible. added. An escalation of fighting around the nuclear plant, with both sides accusing each other of attacks, has raised the specter of a disaster worse than Chernobyl. The world’s worst nuclear disaster occurred in 1986, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) north of the capital Kiev, when an explosion in the plant’s fourth reactor sent plumes of radiation across much of Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said that the consequences of a radioactive accident in Zaporizhzhia “could be even more devastating than Chernobyl and essentially the same as the use of nuclear weapons by Russia, but without a nuclear strike.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week he was “gravely concerned” about the situation around the facility, reiterating his call for the plant to be demilitarized. Russia meanwhile accused Ukraine of preparing a “provocation” at the site that would see Moscow “accused of creating a man-made disaster at the plant”. Amid clashes and tensions, the French presidency said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed that IAEA inspectors could travel to the nuclear plant for an inspection. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington, said the four leaders are likely to have discussed Macron’s conversation with Putin, as well as contingency plans for a potential disaster in Zaporizhia. “If the worst happens, if there’s a malfunction at the plant, if there’s a radioactive plume and it drifts into a NATO country, what are they going to do? They probably talked about it. Remember, Article 5 of the NATO charter says that a direct attack on any NATO country means that NATO is immediately involved in war. So, would a radioactive plume be considered a direct attack in this country?’ Culhane said. The leaders issued a reading of their conversation as a message to the Kremlin and Putin that “this issue is an issue that these leaders take very seriously,” Culhane said, and was intended to “send a message that they are working on what answer would be”. The White House said that during their talks on Sunday, Biden, Johnson, Scholz and Macron “reaffirmed their continued support for Ukraine’s efforts to defend against a Russian nuclear attack.” The call by the four leaders came as Ukrainian officials reported shelling of Nikopol, a city near Zaporizhia, overnight. Nikopoli was bombed on five separate occasions overnight, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram. He said 25 artillery shells hit the city, setting fire to an industrial site and cutting power to 3,000 residents. Local authorities also reported rocket attacks overnight in Ukraine’s Odesa region, home to ports critical to a UN-brokered plan to help Ukrainian agricultural exports reach global markets again. Five Russian Kalibr cruise missiles were fired from the Black Sea into the region overnight, a spokesman for the regional command said, citing information from the southern military command. Two were shot down by Ukrainian air defense and three hit agricultural targets, but there were no casualties. Russia said on Sunday that the missiles destroyed an ammunition depot containing missiles for US-made HIMARS missiles. Kyiv said a granary was hit.