United States claimed that the biggest nuclear power facility in Ukraine is being utilized as a “nuclear shield” by Russia, which has troops stationed there to prevent Ukrainian forces from firing back and hence creating the possibility of a catastrophic nuclear accident.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was “deeply concerned” that the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia was accused of firing shells dangerously close to in March, was now a Russian military base used to fire on nearby Ukrainian forces.
Blinken, after the nuclear nonproliferation meetings at the UN in New York on Monday, told reporters, “Of course the Ukrainians cannot fire back lest there be a terrible accident involving the nuclear plant.”
He referred to Russia’s efforts as a “nuclear shield”, saying they went beyond employing a “human shield”.
According to Reuters, at the New York talks, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said “robust joint actions are needed to prevent nuclear disaster” and asked the international community to “close the sky” over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants with air defence systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 set off one of the deadliest conflicts in Europe since World War Two, which has left millions of people displaced and significant portions of Ukraine in ruins.
With Russia and Ukraine producing roughly one-third of the world’s wheat, the war has also contributed to a global food crisis. Meanwhile, Western sanctions on Russia, a significant energy supplier to Europe, have contributed to a global energy crisis.
