War in Ukraine: “Kyiv is bombing the Zaporizhia plant, threatening nuclear destruction,” Russians say

Russia agrees with the US on the need for lasting peace in the Ukraine, but currently sees no prospect for negotiations, the Kremlin pointed out on Tuesday (6/12). During an interview on Monday (12/5), US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the conflict in Ukraine will “almost certainly end with diplomacy” and negotiations and that a “just and lasting peace” is needed.

As the Kremlin representative pointed out Dmitry Peskov to reporters, “we can agree that the result should be a just and lasting peace. But in terms of the prospects for some kind of negotiations, we don’t see any at the moment.”

Peskov, as reported by the Athens News Agency, added that in order for the talks with potential partners to take place, Russia would have to satisfy the goals of the “special military operation”, as Moscow calls the invasion of Ukraine.

For his part, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Ukraine continues to bomb the Zaporizhia nuclear plant deliberately provoking the threat of a possible nuclear disaster.

According to Shoigu, Russian forces are taking “all measures” to guarantee his safety nuclear plant– the largest in Europe – in the face of the “nuclear terrorism” – as he described it – practiced by Kyiv.

Ukraine denies bombing the plant, which has been under the control of Russian forces since its early days warand has accused Russia of such actions.

“Our units are taking all measures to guarantee the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant,” Shoigu told his military chiefs during a conference call, according to a short transcript released by the Defense Ministry.

“In return, the Kiev regime seeks to present the threat of a nuclear catastrophe by continuing to deliberately bomb its facilities,” Shoigu added.

Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for the attacks on the factory. Kyiv even accuses Moscow of using the plant as a de facto weapons depot.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – the UN’s nuclear watchdog – is pushing for a safety zone around the plant for fear of a possible Chernobyl-like disaster.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said today that there was “positive momentum” in talks with the IAEA on the idea, TASS news agency reported.

Zelensky in Donbass

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky traveled on Tuesday (6/12) to Sloviansk, in Ukraine’s Donbas region, about 40 kilometers from Bakhmut, the main battleground in the region, the presidency announced on social media.

In a video in which Zelensky is pictured at the entrance to the city of Sloviansk, the Ukrainian head of state greets “from the bottom of his heart” his country’s military on the occasion of Armed Forces Day, which is celebrated today.

“We always start by remembering our fallen heroes, all those who gave their lives for Ukraine,” he said as he stood in front of the city’s name etched in concrete, painted in yellow and blue, Ukraine’s colors.

Unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly moved close to the front since Russia invaded his country on February 24.

Sloviansk is a symbol city because it was occupied in 2014 for a few months by Moscow-equipped pro-Russian separatists before being recaptured by the Ukrainians.

Sloviansk is also 45 kilometers from Bakhmut, which Russian forces have been trying to capture since the summer at the cost of significant damage, but have so far failed to do so.