EU at OSCE Calls on Russia to Withdraw Its 'Personnel' from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant and Entire Ukraine

Russia must immediately stop its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and withdraw all its military and other personnel from Zaporizhzhya NPP and the entire territory of Ukraine.

This is stated in a statement by the European Union at a regular meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, Ukrinform reports.

‘Russia must immediately stop its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and withdraw all its military and unauthorised personnel from the ZNPP and the entire territory of Ukraine,’ the statement said.

The European Union pointed out that due to Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Ukraine's three operating nuclear power plants were forced to drastically reduce electricity production. ‘Russia's military strikes on 28 November affected substations used by all nuclear power plants to transmit and receive electricity, which is essential for nuclear safety,’ the EU added.

It was also noted that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has significantly increased the risk of a nuclear accident with potentially serious radiological consequences for human health and the environment, including global food security in the event of contamination of agricultural land.

In a statement, the EU assured that it will continue to support Ukraine and its people ‘for as long as necessary’ to enable Ukraine to ‘legitimately defend itself against Russia's brutal war of aggression and to win the just and lasting peace it deserves’.