MOSCOW (TASS): There is still an opportunity to conclude an agreement between Russia, Ukraine and the IAEA on ensuring the security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities. This is stated in the comments of the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, circulated on Friday.
“The window of opportunity, as we understand it, is still not closed at the moment,” the diplomat stressed.
Zakharova informed that in recent weeks there has been an active discussion of the initiative of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to conclude an agreement between the agency, Moscow and Kiev in order to ensure the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities in the context of a special military operation by the Russian Armed Forces. “The seven important provisions that were proposed to be fixed in the form of obligations of the parties, of course, would contribute to the stability and predictability of everything that is happening now around the nuclear infrastructure of Ukraine, primarily its nuclear power plants. The physical and nuclear safety of facilities, their performance would be guaranteed properly, inclu-ding under the control of the IAEA,” she explained.
Zakharova stressed that the Russian Federation supported Grossi’s initiative from the very beginning. “We were ready to sign the document developed by the IAEA in the form in which it was prepared by the agency’s director general. We were in the closest contact with Rafael Grossi on this issue,” she said.
As the diplomat noted, “responsibility for the disruption of the trilateral and then two parallel bilateral agreements lies entirely with Ukraine.” “The statement released on March 23 by the director general of the agency explicitly stated that, despite his efforts, a positive result could not be achieved,” she added.
“Russia will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that the security of nuclear facilities in Ukr-aine is ensured at the proper level,” spokeswoman stressed.
The outcome of the vote in the UN Security Council on the Russian draft resolution on the humanitarian si-tuation in Ukraine demonstrates the cynical approach of the West and the desire to put pressure on the Russian Federation, said Zakharova.
“On March 23, the UN Security Council voted on the Russian draft resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, during which the majority of the Security Council member states abstained, thereby preventing its adoption. We express our gratitude to China, which voted in support of our project, as well as to the countries that join-ed among its co-authors,” the diplomat noted.
“The outcome of the vote in the [UN Security Council] once again demonstrated the cynical approach of Western colleagues who are not concerned about the fate of Ukrainians on earth, but the desire to use any, even purely humanitarian, reason to put pressure on Russia,” Zakharova added.
As the diplomat noted, the Russian document, which is based on generally accepted formulations on the topic of humanitarian assistance, largely echoes the similar Franco-Mexican draft resolution on Ukraine submitted earlier to the UN Security Council. “However, our Western colleagues, insisting on the inclusion of openly anti-Russian passages in the text, moved the work on the document from the Security Council to the General Assembly platform. The goal is very clear – to push through the confrontational initiative in the General Assembly by a majority of votes,” she said.
According to Zakharova, this move prompted Russia to submit an alternative depoliticized draft to the Security Council, “containing, among other things, the requirement to ensure comprehensive protection of the civilian population and compliance with international humanitarian law, as well as a call for the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians, including foreigners.” .
“The absence of a decision by the Security Council on this important issue is a significant blow to the efforts of organizations and structures of the UN system aimed at providing urgent humanitarian assistance to the victims and rectifying the situation in the territories affected by the conflict,” the representative of the Russian Fore-ign Ministry concluded.
