On February 23, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko held a working meeting with the Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine Gaël Veyssière in the context of coordinating further steps of the international community on nuclear and radiation safety.

During the meeting, the parties separately paid attention to the role of France as this year’s chairman of the Group of Seven. Olexandr Mischenko noted that the Ukrainian side counts on the political leadership of France in the matter of consolidating partners and promoting practical solutions in the field of international nuclear safety. The parties also discussed a number of specific initiatives aimed at strengthening the international response to security risks caused by Russian aggression and also agreed on further proactive and coordinated actions in this direction.

The Deputy Minister informed his foreign colleague about the current situation at the ZNPP, focusing on the systematic tactics of intimidation of the international community by the Russian Federation and deliberate provocations aimed at ensuring the integration of the plant into the Russian energy grid. It was emphasized that such actions grossly contradict the norms of international law and violate the sovereign property rights of Ukraine.

In this regard, the parties discussed possible further diplomatic steps to consolidate international support for a resolute condemnation of Russia’s illegal policy of detaining Ukrainian personnel at the ZNPP, as well as increasing pressure on the aggressor state. The parties paid special attention to coordination with the G7 countries in order to mobilize broader international support to strengthen political and diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure strict compliance with the norms of international law and an immediate end to the illegal detention of Ukrainian citizens.

Ukraine expects from its partners a clear, strong, and effective position proportional to the scale of threats to global nuclear security.