The White House said on Monday that Russia should agree to a demilitarized zone around the Ukrainian nuclear plant that has become a dangerous frontline in the ongoing war.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the Biden administration supports a visit led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on the Dnipro river in southern central Ukraine.
He said the risks of keeping the plant going grew last week when fires in the area forced the shutdown of a diesel-fueled electric plant that provides backup power to the Zaporizhzhia plant, potentially threatening nuclear reactor operations.
"We continue to believe that a controlled shutdown of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactors would be the safest and least risky option in the near term," Kirby said.
