The US State Department released a joint statement of the G7 nuclear non-proliferation group.
The statement condemned russia's actions at Ukraine's nuclear facilities and the nuclear blackmail that Ukraine and the whole world are subjected to. The leaders of the countries supported the joint position of the heads of foreign affairs of the G7 members on ensuring nuclear safety at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
The G7 group expressed concern over the serious threat posed by the continued control of the russian armed forces over Ukrainian nuclear facilities, “These actions significantly raise the risk of a nuclear accident or incident and endanger the population of Ukraine, neighboring states, and the international community… the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the electricity that it produces rightly belong to Ukraine.” Any attempts by Russia to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian power grid would be unacceptable. Zaporizhzhia NPP should not be used for military activities or the storage of military material.
Group members clearly stated: "the russian federation should immediately withdraw its troops from the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and respect the territory and sovereignty of Ukraine."
In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, announced that the IAEA mission had arrived in our country to visit the Zaporizhzhia NPP. However, the Russians continue to make provocations in all directions from which the mission is supposed to arrive at the plant, "The occupiers do not leave the plant, continue shelling, do not take away their weapons and ammunition from the territory of the NPP. They intimidate our nuclear workers. The risk of a radiation disaster due to russian actions does not decrease even for an hour."
Ukraine's position on the issue of solving the crisis at the Zaporizhzhia NPP is unequivocal and unchanging: all representatives of the russian federation, civilians and military, must immediately and without any conditions leave the territory of the power plant. The town of Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia NPP itself must be removed from the influence of the russian occupation administrations. After that, the work of legitimate Ukrainian administrations will be urgently resumed in the town and at the nuclear facility, whose main task will be the organization of a security corridor for the delivery of the necessary equipment and specialists to the territory of the plant. In particular, by water with the help of a ferry crossing.
Control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP must be immediately returned to the Ukrainian Energy Agency and the IAEA mission. At the same time, a demilitarized zone of at least 10 kilometers must be created around the NPP.