Biden, Johnson, Macron, Scholz approve plans for an IAEA mission to the Zaporiyia plant

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U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a four-way conversation on Sunday in which they applauded talks for the arrival, as soon as possible, of a UN nuclear agency mission to the Zaporiyia power plant, besieged by fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

The four leaders, moreover, have stressed the “importance of ensuring the security of nuclear facilities,” and “welcomed talks to enable an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission” to the plant, according to a Downing Street statement picked up by Sky News.

A subsequent White House note has stressed that idea. “Military operations near the plant should be avoided,” according to the United States, before insisting on “the importance of an IAEA visit as soon as possible to determine the status of the safety systems.”

The trip does not yet have a fixed date due to security concerns given the fighting around the area.

In addition, the four leaders have reiterated their commitment in general terms to Ukrainian forces in the face of Russia’s invasion.

They have also all discussed “other shared priorities,” such as talks on the Iranian nuclear program, and, in particular, methods to “deter destabilizing regional activities” of Tehran.