Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine in the impasse over Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that has been occupied by Russia since early in the conflict but run by Ukrainian engineers. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency visited the facility late last week. They said that the plant has been disconnected from its last remaining main power line to the grid and was now relying on a reserve line.
Erdogan on Saturday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that “Turkey can play a facilitator role in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as they did in the grain deal,” the Turkish presidency said. It is not known if Erdogan also spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Kyiv has accused Russia of using the nuclear plant as a shield for its forces to hit its towns and cities, knowing it will be hard for Ukraine to return fire. It has also accused Russian forces of shelling the plant. Radiation levels at the plant are normal, according to Russia.
On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal with Turkey and the UN to allow food and fertilizer exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi. The deal aims to allow safe passage for ships carrying grain to world markets amid a sharp rise in food prices, concerns about food shortages, and fears of a global hunger crisis due to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Russia and Ukraine are major global suppliers of wheat and other grains.