Erdogan fears fighting around Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhya: “We don’t want another Chernobyl” | Abroad

“We have expressed our concerns about the fighting going on around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant,” Erdogan said. “We don’t want to experience another Chernobyl.” The Turkish president also reiterated Turkey’s support for Ukraine. He also once again offered his services as a mediator. The war must be ended through diplomatic channels, he added. “What matters is to find the shortest and fairest way to the negotiating table.” Erdogan will discuss further details with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, he promised.

Guterres, for his part, warned that any damage done to the nuclear power plant would be “suicide.” “We have to tell it like it is,” said Guterres, again calling for the plant to be “demilitarized”. “There is an urgent need for an agreement to turn Zaporizhzhya back into a purely civilian infrastructure and ensure the security of the area,” Guterres said. “Common sense must prevail to avoid actions that jeopardize the physical integrity or safety of the nuclear power plant.”

However, Moscow refuses to respond to the demand for demilitarization, which Kiev also insists on.

Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of bombing the plant. On Thursday, Moscow announced that the Ukrainians, with the support of the United States and other NATO countries, are planning an attack on the central. Shortly afterwards, Ukrainian military intelligence warned against Russian sabotage of the nuclear power plant. The staff were, unexpectedly, asked not to come to work on Friday, according to the intelligence service. Neither side gave further details, and the reports are not independently verifiable.