The UN General Assembly on Thursday, July 11, adopted a resolution on the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine, including the occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Resolution of the UN General Assembly on the safety of Zaporozhye NPP
The document submitted by Ukraine was supported by 99 countries.
Nine countries voted against: Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria.
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Another 66 Member States abstained.
The text of the resolution contains a demand for Russia to “urgently withdraw” your military and other personnel from the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP and “immediately return” the station under the full control of Ukraine to ensure its security.
The signatories also called on the Russian Federation to provide the IAEA mission with timely and full access to all areas at the Zaporozhye NPP so that the Agency can prepare a report on the situation with nuclear safety and security at the facility.
Ukrainian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Sergei Kislitsa, presenting the text of the resolution, noted that the Russian Federation deliberately made the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant an element of its military strategy, and warned that the consequences of the incident on it would be catastrophic, since “radiation knows no boundaries”.
Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyansky called the resolution “harmful, very politicized and has nothing to do with nuclear safety” ;, and accused Ukraine of allegedly being a threat to nuclear security.
Zelensky’s reaction
President Vladimir Zelensky called the adoption of the resolution an important step towards restoring respect for the UN Charter and international law.
— This vote is based on the discussions and decisions taken at the first Peace Summit, where paragraph one of the Peace Formula Radiation and Nuclear Safety was a key issue, — emphasized the head of state.
Zelensky also thanked his partners for their assistance in restoring security in all territories destroyed by Russian aggression.
— By working together, we can protect fundamental international law and shared values, — he added.
