29 March, 2024
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Putin warns of ‘large-scale catastrophe’ and agrees inspectors should visit Ukraine nuclear plant

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Russia and France have called for international inspectors to visit Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant amid increasing alarm over a potential catastrophe.

Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of shelling the nuclear plant — the largest in Europe — and risking a disastrous radioactive accident.

As international concern mounts, the Russian and French presidents held a phone conversation and agreed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should send a mission as soon as possible.

The Kremlin released a statement saying Vladimir Putin had warned the shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear site, which he blamed on Kyiv, created the risk of “large-scale catastrophe”.

“Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that the systematic shelling of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by the Ukrainian military created the danger of a large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radiation contamination of vast territories,” the Kremlin said in a readout of the call, which it said had been initiated by Macron.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron had stressed the importance of sending an IAEA delegation in haste.

Mr Putin agreed to send a mission of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the site, it added.

The two presidents agreed to continue their talks in the coming days, according to a readout sent to journalists by Mr Macron’s office.

Ukraine’s nuclear power operator said on Friday it suspected Moscow was planning to decouple the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from Ukraine’s grid, a complex operation that Kyiv says could cause a disaster.

Russia cuts gas

Meanwhile gas supplies to Europe from Russia through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will be halted for three days at the end of the month, piling pressure on the region as it seeks to refuel ahead of winter.

The unscheduled maintenance order on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, deepens an energy stand-off between Moscow and Brussels which has already helped send inflation surging in the region and raised the risk of rationing and recession.

Gazprom said the three-day shutdown was because the pipeline’s only remaining gas compressor requires maintenance, yet the move will bring further disruption particularly for Germany, which depends largely on deliveries from Moscow to power its industry.

It follows a 10-day scheduled annual maintenance that took place in July, and raised fears over whether Russia would resume supplies, which have been reduced since mid-June.

-with AAP

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