Russia to be primarily responsible for incident at Zaporizhia NPP – France at UN

KYIV. Aug 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Responsibility for any incident at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) in the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, Zaporizhia region, will lie primarily with the Russian Federation, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst has said.

"The presence of Russian troops at Zaporizhia NPP increases the risk of a nuclear accident with potentially devastating consequences. We recall our call for the withdrawal of Russian troops. The responsibility for any incident will lie primarily with Russia. It is imperative that the IAEA be able to organize expert missions as quickly as possible on the ground," Estival-Broadhurst said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday.

At the same time, James Kariuki, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the UN, called on the Russian Federation to withdraw troops from Ukraine immediately and called for the Russian Federation to be held accountable for the crimes.

"There will be another violation of the UN Charter. There are reports that Russia is planning fake referendums to illegally annex new territories of Ukraine. Any such attempt will not deceive anyone," he said.

The UK Deputy Representative stressed that the people of Ukraine were not the only victims of this war. "Outside of Ukraine, Putin’s decisions have had a devastating impact on the world’s most vulnerable people, with many millions of people around the world affected by the food and fuel crisis," Kariuki added.