After a long period of silence between the West and Moscow, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone for the first time since May.
Discussions focused on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, where only two of the six reactors are operating, while the international community is concerned about the risk of a nuclear incident due to the presence of Russian troops in the area.
Vladimir Putin warned his French counterpart that the bombing of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which he attributed to Kiev, could result in widespread destruction.
Moscow and Kiev have blamed each other for bombing the site, which is home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russia in March but continues to operate with Ukrainian technicians. Only two of the six reactors are operational.
"Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed that the Ukrainian military's systematic shelling of the area where the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is located has created the risk of a large-scale disaster that could lead to radioactive contamination of a large area of land," the Kremlin said in a statement. statement.
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of preparing provocations at the station. Kiev claims that Russian forces plan to disconnect the nuclear plant from the Ukrainian power grid and connect it to the Russian grid.
The Kremlin announced that Putin and Macron stressed the importance of sending a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the nuclear plant as soon as possible.
Putin, according to the Kremlin statement, confirmed Russia's readiness to provide IAEA inspectors with the necessary assistance.
The two presidents agreed to continue their talks in the coming days on the matter after the technical group talks and before the deployment of the mission, according to a statement on the telephone conversation between the two presidents sent to reporters by Macron's office.
Ukraine's nuclear power plant management authority said today it suspects Moscow plans to disconnect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant from Ukraine's grid, a complex operation that Kiev says could spell disaster.