Washington comments on Russia's purchase of ammunition from North Korea, and mutual accusations about expected "catastrophic" risks in Zaporozhye

US Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder said that his country has indications that Russia has resorted to North Korea to obtain munitions, the nature of which was not specified, while Russia and the international community exchanged accusations about responsibility for the "catastrophic" risks that could occur due to the war in the vicinity of the Zaporozhye nuclear plant.

Ryder added that the matter refers to the challenges that Russia faces in its war on Ukraine.

And a US intelligence report revealed that Russia is in the process of buying military munitions from North Korea, in an indication of the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's ability to continue its war on Ukraine.

And US reports have previously confirmed that Moscow received, about a week ago, the first batch of Iranian drones for the purpose of using them in its continuous operations on Ukrainian territory.

In a parallel context, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, in a phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed her full support for him.

She said Ukraine could count on the UK's long-term help and unwavering support for its freedom and democracy.

In a press release, the TRACE office noted that it praised the struggle of Ukrainians for sovereignty and self-determination, and said that it is necessary for Ukraine to succeed and for Russia to fail.

Truss stressed the importance of ensuring that the UK and its allies continue to build energy independence.

The two sides denounced Putin's attempts to use energy as a weapon, and discussed the need to enhance global security and measures to cut off funds that fuel Putin's war machine, according to the statement.

Securing the nuclear plant

On international efforts to secure the Zaporozhye nuclear plant, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that any damage, whether intentional or unintentional, to the nuclear plant or any other nuclear facility in Ukraine could lead to disaster.

In a speech during a UN Security Council session that discussed the situation at the plant, Guterres considered that any action that would jeopardize the physical or security safety of the nuclear plant was unacceptable and all steps must be taken to avoid such a scenario, and expressed his grave concern about the reports of the recent bombing.

Guterres also stressed that the Zaporozhye facility and the surrounding areas should not be a target or a platform for military operations.

He called for the need to secure an agreement on a demilitarized perimeter specifically, including the commitment of Russian forces to withdraw all personnel and military equipment from that perimeter and the commitment of Ukrainian forces not to enter it.

For his part, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, called for an immediate halt to all military activities that might affect the energy supply of the Zaporozhye plant.

In his briefing to the Security Council, Grossi suggested establishing a protected area limited to the vicinity of the station to prevent something very catastrophic from happening, as he put it.

Grossi also stressed the serious repercussions of any interruption of the power supply to the nuclear plant because it would cause a major disruption to its work, especially with regard to the cooling of reactors, adding that the power cut could expose the region to a very serious nuclear accident.

The International Atomic Energy Agency had demanded the establishment of a security zone to avoid any nuclear accident at the Zaporozhye plant.

The agency said in a report that it is still very concerned about the situation at the nuclear plant, and that its observers have monitored the presence of Russian forces, equipment and military vehicles there.

The report came days after the agency's team visited the Zaporozhye station, which Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of being responsible for targeting.

For his part, the Russian delegate to the UN Security Council Vassily Nebenzia said that the only threats to the nuclear power plant are caused by the bombing and sabotage by the Ukrainian armed forces, as he described it.

risk

The Russian delegate added that so far the radiological situation at the station is normal, but if what he described as the Kyiv regime's provocations continue, there may be serious consequences, and that the responsibility for this will fall entirely on Kyiv and its Western backers.

The Russian delegate said that the IAEA report does not mention the party responsible for the bombing, calling for things to be called by their proper names.

On the other hand, the deputy US representative said that every day that Russia controls the plant increases the risk of nuclear accidents.

As for Ukraine's delegate to the United Nations, Sergey Kiseltsya, he said that the only way to eliminate the nuclear threats posed by Russia's illegal presence at the Zaporozhye plant is to withdraw Russian weapons and forces, and return the plant to Ukraine's full and legitimate control.

Kisletsya added that Kyiv is ready to hold immediate substantive consultations with the IAEA on the issue of the agency's continued presence at the nuclear power plant with the aim of stabilizing the critical situation at the facility and avoiding further deterioration.