French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the few Western leaders to hold an open dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, urged the Kremlin in a telephone call on Sunday to withdraw its forces from the besieged Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the bombing of the plant, which the UN nuclear watchdog has warned could have “very, very catastrophic” consequences. Macron sided with Kiev in his call with Putin, according to a report from the Elysee Palace. “[Macron] reminded that the Russian occupation was the cause of the dangers that today burden the integrity of the Zaporizhzhia power plant,” the French president told Putin. “He asked the Russian forces to withdraw their heavy and light weapons and that the recommendations of the IAEA be carried out. monitoring to ensure site security’. French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference after the Ukraine summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, December 9, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo) Putin, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of putting the plant at risk. “The Russian side drew attention to Ukraine’s regular attacks on plant facilities, including the storage of radioactive waste, which is fraught with disastrous consequences,” a Kremlin statement said. RUSSIAN TROOPS FAIL AS UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS RECOVER KEY AREAS IN KHARKIV Russian forces seized the factory in the early days of the war, but it is still operated by Ukrainian staff. The International Atomic Energy Agency visited the plant, which is Europe’s largest, last week and called for a buffer zone to be set up to protect it. “Physical attack, knowingly or unwittingly – the blows that this facility took and that I personally could see and assess with my experts – is simply unacceptable,” said IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi. The IAEA said on Sunday that a backup power line to the plant had been restored, allowing external electricity to the facility for reactor cooling and other operations. Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear power agency, said it had to halt operations at the plant on Sunday as a safety precaution. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Macron, who pledged to resume talks with Russia earlier this month, also condemned Putin’s invasion on Sunday. “[Macron] condemned the continuation of Russian military operations in Ukraine and reiterated his request that they stop as soon as possible, start negotiations and restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” reads the readout of his call with Putin. Reuters contributed to this report. Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.
