Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a joint news briefing with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Kyiv planned to submit a resolution on nuclear safety, in particular at the Russia-occupied Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, for consideration at the United Nations General Assembly.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest in Europe, was captured by Russian forces shortly after they launched a full-scale invasion in 2022. It is shut down but needs external power to keep its nuclear material cool and prevent a meltdown.
"Ukraine will submit the draft resolution to the General Assembly for consideration shortly," Zelenskiy said on X, following a meeting in Kyiv with the Assembly's President Dennis Francis.
In the course of the 28-month war, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the plant and putting down power lines. Ukraine has dismissed Russian accusations saying it was not attacking nuclear facilities.
Francis, whose trip to Kyiv marks the first visit to Ukraine by the Assembly's president in nearly 30 years, said the document passed several rounds of consultations and was registered.
In a video shared by Zelenskiy's office, he said he expected the resolution to be successful.
Ukraine considers nuclear safety as a key issue on the path to peace, and included the topic for discussions at its first international summit in Switzerland.
Zelenskiy said the resolution could be "one of the practical outcomes of the summit".
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Alex Richardson and Tomasz Janowski)
