The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and the US on Sunday urged military restraint around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, as they vowed to maintain their backing for Kyiv in the war.
In a phone call, the four leaders also called for a “quick visit” to the nuclear site by independent inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's spokesman.
A flare-up in fighting around the Russian-controlled nuclear power station, with both sides blaming each other for attacks, has raised the spectre of a disaster worse than in Chernobyl.
On Friday, the French presidency said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed that IAEA inspectors could inspect the plant.
During their talks on Sunday, Mr Scholz, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also “agreed that support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression would be sustained”.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant attacked - in pictures
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A bright flaring object lands near the nuclear plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine. AP -
Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear plant early on Friday. AP -
Surveillance camera footage shows a flare landing at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Reuters -
The flare lands at the plant. Reuters -
Multiple blasts at the plant were recorded. AFP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes a statement following the attack. Reuters -
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, on September 2, 2019. AP -
A power-generating unit at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. AP Photo
