Ukraine - Safety and security of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (11 Aug. 2022)

France is very concerned about the serious threat the Russian Federation is posing to the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. The Russian armed forces’ presence and actions in the vicinity of the [Zaporizhzhia] plant are significantly increasing the risk of an accident with potentially devastating consequences.

As the G7 members stated on 10 August 2022, the Russian Federation must immediately withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and restore to Ukraine full control of the plant and all the country’s nuclear facilities. Control of Ukrainian nuclear facilities by the Russian Federation is a danger for the Ukrainian people and, beyond this, for the region and the whole international community.

France welcomes and supports the efforts being made by the IAEA Director General and has backed them from the outset and at a high level, including by actively contributing to its plan for technical assistance to Ukraine. We reiterate the importance of respecting the seven pillars of nuclear safety and security set out by the IAEA Director General, and of dispatching a mission of experts to Zaporizhzhia.