The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was the site of the world’s worst nuclear catastrophe nearly 36 years ago. It lost power after its power grid source was damaged, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Kuleba tweeted the plant was relying on reserve diesel generators with the capacity to power it for 48-hours, after which the cooling of spent nuclear fuel will halt, raising the possibility of “imminent” radiation leaks.
“Putin’s barbaric war puts entire Europe in danger. He must stop it immediately,” tweeted Kuleba, who also called on the global community to demand that Russia impose a cease-fire to allow for repairs.
The international community continued to target Russia’s economy. The European Union agreed Wednesday to bolster its sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion, including measures targeting senior Russian officials and oligarchs, as well as restrictions on the maritime sector and several Belarussian banks.
Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby added late Tuesday that the Pentagon did not “believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one.”
“The prospect of fighter jets ‘at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America’ departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance. It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it,” according to the statement from Kirby, adding that the United States would “continue to consult with Poland and our other NATO allies about this issue and the difficult logistics.
The United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday more than 2.2 million people have fled Ukraine. More than half have gone to Poland.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were due to meet Thursday in Turkey to discuss the situation. Dmytro Kuleba said he will propose a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
