Zelensky calls for Russian withdrawal from Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has again called on Moscow to immediately return the embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to full Ukrainian control, ahead of talks with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"The Russian army must withdraw from the territory of the nuclear power plant and all neighboring areas, and take away its military equipment from the plant," Zelensky said on Telegram. "This must happen without any conditions and as soon as possible."

Zelensky said that Ukrainian diplomats, scientists and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were working on sending an IAEA mission to the embattled power plant, dpa news agency reported.

"Only absolute transparency and (a) controlled situation at and around the (Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant) can guarantee a gradual return to normal nuclear safety for the Ukrainian state, for the international community, and for the IAEA," he said.

The IAEA visit to the plant will be among the subjects of a meeting between Zelensky, Guterres and and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set to take place on Thursday in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

--IANS

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