PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron told his Russian counterpart on Friday that he is concerned about safety risks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, the Elysee said, adding that Putin had agreed to send a mission of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the site.
The two presidents agreed to continue their talks in the coming days, according to a readout sent to journalists by Macron’s office.
Ukraine’s nuclear power operator said on Friday it suspected Moscow was planning to decouple the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from Ukraine’s grid, a complex operation that Kyiv says could cause a disaster.[L1N2ZU2HZ]
According to a Kremlin readout of the call, Putin said the shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear site, which he blamed on Kyiv, created the risk of “large-scale catastrophe”.
(Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by GV De Clercq)
