G7, EU and US condemn Russia for ‘incredibly reckless’ attack on Ukrainian nuclear plant
- ‘Any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of international law’
- Alarm that Ukraine had come perilously close to experiencing a second nuclear catastrophe after the Chernobyl disaster
Group of Seven countries and the European Union reacted with alarm on Friday to Russia’s assault on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, as the US administration demurred on whether it considered the shelling a war crime.
“We urge Russia to stop its attacks especially in the direct vicinity of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants,” said the foreign ministers of the G7, the bloc comprising the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Japan.
“Any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of international law,” the ministers, joined by an EU representative, added.
Russian troops took control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine after shelling the complex early Friday morning, an attack that started a fire in one building.
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Ukraine says Russia has taken control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
The assault is not believed to have caused any radiation leaks, but world leaders reacted with condemnation and concern that Ukraine had come perilously close to experiencing a second nuclear catastrophe after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.