50 countries call on Russia to withdraw its troops from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022, 13:26 – ANASTASIA ZHARYKOVA

Fifty countries participating in the IAEA General Conference have signed a joint statement calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and stop the nuclear blackmail.

Source: press service of Energoatom, the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine

Details: Fifty states participating in the 66th IAEA General Conference strongly condemned Russia's actions against nuclear facilities in Ukraine, and called on the Russian Federation to immediately stop any interference at Ukrainian nuclear sites. 

The joint statement emphasises that the seizure of the ZNPP by Russian troops is the root cause of the existing threats to nuclear safety and physical protection in Ukraine. 

"The plant should stay connected to the Ukrainian power grid as an integral part of the Ukrainian energy system," the statement reads. 

The conference participants also noted that "any rigged referendums held by the Russian Federation within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine will not have a legal or political impact on the status of the nuclear power plant or the surrounding territories."

"We once again call on the Russian Federation to immediately stop all actions against nuclear facilities and at nuclear facilities in Ukraine so that the Ukrainian competent authorities can restore full control over all nuclear facilities within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine to ensure their safe and reliable operation, as well as to ensure that the IAEA can safely and fully carry out its activities to verify guarantees in Ukraine," the joint statement reads.

The statement was signed by several countries, including the EU member states, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Australia, Ukraine, Africa and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom).

Previously:

Poland said it  would call for Russia’s exclusion from the IAEA if it does not withdraw its troops from the ZNPP.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) started a series of negotiations regarding the creation of a nuclear safety zone at the ZNPP, which has been occupied by the Russian military since March 2022.

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