鑽石舞台

The leaders of the United Nations, Turkiye and Ukraine have discussed ways to end the conflict raging for nearly six months and secure Europe's largest nuclear power station.

▲ Meeting in Lviv on Thursday (from left) are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.Reuters

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters after talks in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday that he was gravely concerned about circumstances at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and called for military equipment and personnel to be withdrawn.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he, Guterres and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed building on a recent positive atmosphere to revive peace negotiations with Russia that took place in Istanbul in March.

In a deal brokered by the UN and Turkiye, Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement in July for Russia to lift a blockade of Ukrainian grain shipments, and exports resumed at the beginning of August.

"Personally, I maintain my belief that the war will ultimately end at the negotiating table. Mr Zelensky and Mr Guterres have the same opinion in this regard," Erdogan said.

Erdogan said Turkiye will provide all necessary support to resume negotiations to end the conflict.

The peace talks between Ukraine and Russia could be based on the agreements achieved in March in Istanbul, Erdogan said, adding that Turkiye is ready to be a mediator in the negotiations.

Zelensky said after meeting Guterres that they had agreed on parameters for a possible mission to the Zaporizhzhia plant by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"Russia should immediately and unconditionally withdraw its forces from the territory of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant," Zelensky said.

Accusations traded

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations through the night over the shelling of civilian areas near the power station, as they have done for days.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Thursday accused Ukraine of preparing a provocation at the power plant during Guterres' visit to the country.

Konashenkov said Ukrainian troops were planning to launch artillery strikes on the plant site, noting that Russia would further be blamed for creating a manmade disaster at the plant.

Russian armed forces are taking all necessary measures to ensure its security, he added.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden's administration is readying about $800 million in additional military aid to Ukraine and could announce it as soon as Friday, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Biden would authorize the assistance using his Presidential Draw-down Authority, which allows the president to authorize the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks, the sources told Reuters.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that an announcement could slip into the coming week, cautioning that weapons packages can change in value before they are announced.

The White House declined to comment.

On the plight of refugees, Europe's embrace of millions of Ukrainians who fled the conflict showed that it's possible to welcome large numbers of asylum-seekers, and the approach should be replicated to receive those fleeing other nations, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.

The welcome for Ukrainians stands in stark contrast to EU efforts in recent years to keep migrants from Africa and the Middle East from reaching Europe's shores. Some European leaders have sought to differentiate between the plight of Ukrainians and that of other refugees－a distinction that Grandi condemned as "racist".