Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday rejected any peace talks with Moscow before the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory. In Lviv in western Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he stood by Kiev and warned of the danger of “a new Chernobyl”, while UN Secretary-General Atonio Guterres said it would be “suicide” to harm Zaporijia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday rejected any peace talks with Moscow before the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory. In Lviv in western Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he stood by Kiev and warned of the danger of “a new Chernobyl”, while UN Secretary-General Atonio Guterres said it would be “suicide” to harm Zaporijia.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Antonio Guterres, Volodymyr Zelensky and Recep Tayyip Erdogan met to seek a political solution to the conflict and discuss the safety of the Zaporijia nuclear power plant.
“We must say things as they are: any potential harm to Zaporijia would be suicidal,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said after the meeting. said. He once again called for the “disarming” of the facility located in southern Ukraine and occupied by the Russian army. Guterres said he was “serious” about the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reaffirming Turkey’s support for Ukraine, expressed his concern at the danger of a repeat of the worst civilian nuclear accident to date. On April 26, 1986, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl plant exploded, releasing a radioactive cloud that spread over Europe. “We have stood by our Ukrainian friends while we continue our efforts for a solution, and we will continue to be,” Erdogan said.
“Strong support message”
According to Zelensky, his Turkish counterpart’s visit to Lviv is a “strong message of support” for his country. However, he refused any peace treaty with Moscow without the prior withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. At the press conference, the President said, “People who kill, rape, attack our cities with cruise missiles every day cannot demand peace. They must first leave our lands, then we will see.” “Don’t trust Russia,” Zelensky added.
Earlier, Russia denied that its military was storing “heavy weapons” at the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The Zaporijia factory has been occupied by Russian troops since March and is the target of frequent bombings. Moscow and Kyiv are making mutual accusations against the author of the attacks.
Moscow accuses Kiev of planning a “provocation” at the nuclear power plant to coincide with the UN secretary-general’s visit to Ukraine.
Last Thursday, Antonio Guterres and the United States called for the establishment of a demilitarized zone around the facility to secure the facility and allow for an inspection mission.
On Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) “inspection” of the plant was “urgent”. Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Belgium that the occupation of the site by Russian soldiers “posed a serious threat to its security and increased the risk of a nuclear accident or incident”.
UN wants to ‘intensify’ grain exports before winter
The Zelensky-Erdogan-Guterres meeting took place against the backdrop of escalating negotiations to allow Ukraine’s grain exports to resume.
In addition to the bilateral meeting with Zelensky, Guterres will visit Odessa, one of the three ports used in the grain export agreement this Friday (19). He then travels to Turkey, where he plans to meet with the Joint Coordination Center (CCC) overseeing the deal.
Guterres promised that the UN would work to “intensify” Ukraine’s grain exports before winter begins, as they are crucial to the food supply of many African countries. Shipments were blocked for several months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, raising fears of a global food crisis.
An agreement signed between Russia and Ukraine in July and ratified by the United Nations and Turkey made it possible to resume these exports. Erdogan, who is acting as a mediator on the issue, went to Russia in early August to discuss the issue with Vladimir Putin.
The first humanitarian aid ship chartered by the UN, loaded with 23,000 tons of wheat, left Ukraine on Tuesday for Ethiopia. This Thursday is the 25th time since the signing of the agreement, Ukrainian port authorities announced that a ship loaded with grain has left.
In total, “more than 600,000 tons of Ukrainian agricultural products” passed through the “grain corridor” through the ports of Odessa, Pivdenny and Chornomorsk. The main destinations for products were Turkey (26%), Iran (22%) and South Korea (22%).
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest grain exporters. Products have seen a rise in prices since the Russian invasion on February 24.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), 345 million people in 82 countries suffer from acute food insecurity – a record number – and up to 50 million people in 45 countries are at risk of starvation if they do not receive humanitarian aid.
Clashes continue and cause new civilian casualties
Just hours before the meeting between the UN Secretary-General and the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey to talk about the effects of the war and possible solutions to the conflict, Russia bombed the Kharkov region and killed at least five people.
Another missile bombing hit the city of Krasnograd, 80 kilometers south of Kharkiv, on Thursday, killing two people, according to regional governor Oleg Sinegoubov.
Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych announced that one person was killed and two others were injured in the attack in Mykolaiv in the south of Ukraine.
According to local officials, on Wednesday (17), Kharkiv was hit by artillery fire that killed seven people. Located just 40 kilometers from the Russian border, the city has been a frequent target of attacks by the Russian army since the beginning of the war, but has not been occupied by occupying troops. According to local authorities, hundreds of civilians have died in the area since the occupation began.
(with AFP)
source: Noticias
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