UK PM Johnson says Russia must ‘immediately’ cease attack on Ukraine nuclear plant

Johnson says ‘reckless’ actions of Russian president Putin could threaten all of Europe

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that Russian forces must immediately cease an attack on a Ukrainian nuclear power plant where a fire broke out.

Mr Johnson said he spoke to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the country’s southeast.

“Russia must immediately cease its attack on the power station and allow unfettered access for emergency services to the plant,” he added.

In a press release Downing Street said: “The prime minister said the reckless actions of President Putin could now directly threaten the safety of all of Europe.”

“He said the UK would do everything it could to ensure the situation did not deteriorate further. Both leaders agreed a ceasefire was crucial,” it added.

Downing Street said that Mr Johnson will be seeking an emergency UN Security Council meeting, and that the UK would raise this issue immediately with Russia and close partners.

Earlier US president Joe Biden had also spoken to Mr Zelensky after the Russian shelling at the power plant.

The two leaders urged Russia to cease its military activities in the region.

The flurry of calls between international leaders took place after officials in Ukraine announced early on Friday that Russian troops outside the city of Enerhodar were shelling the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Ukraine’s largest nuclear facility, causing a fire to break out.

While the fire was doused in a few hours, officials in Ukraine warned that the shelling could cause a nuclear disaster.

In a statement on Twitter, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Fire has already broke out,” he said. “If it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!”

Officials said later that while nuclear safety had been guaranteed with the fire being doused, parts of the plant had been affected by the blaze.

In a statement Oleksandr Starukh, head of the military administration of the Zaporizhzhia region said on Facebook: “According to those responsible for the plant, a training building and a laboratory were affected by the fire.”

The power plant is Europe’s largest nuclear facility and has six total reactors and powers more than a fifth of the total electricity generated in Ukraine.

At least one reactor, which was under renovation and non-operational, was on fire and contained nuclear fuel, according to a plant spokesperson.

In response to the fire, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has put its emergency centre in full 24/7 response mode.

“IAEA puts its Incident and Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode due to serious situation at #Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement on Twitter.

Mr Zelensky has accused Moscow of nuclear terror and repeating the Chernobyl disaster.

“No country other than Russia has ever fired on nuclear power units. This is the first time in our history. In the history of mankind. The terrorist state now resorted to nuclear terror,” he said in a video statement.

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