President Macron Presses Security And Safety Factors At PLTN Zaporizhia

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Everything possible must be done to maintain the security and safety of nuclear plants, including the Zaporizhia facility in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said after speaking with President Volodymyr Zelenksy.

"Following a new attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, I repeat, everything possible should be done to maintain the security and safety of nuclear plants," said President Macron, launching The National News Nov. 23.

"I discussed this with President Zelensky. We will continue our efforts," continued President Macron.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky said: "I spoke to President Emmanuel Macron about what we can do together to defend against this Russian tactic."

"We have a clear agreement. In particular, about holding a conference on Ukraine's rapid reconstruction in early December, according to our plan for Ukraine's rapid recovery," he said.

"And I invite all of you to join the conference and related efforts," he said.

President Zelensky thanked France for helping to rebuild the country, helping prevent an extreme winter, as Russian troops crippled electricity and water supply by attacking key infrastructure.

"To get through this winter and prevent Russia from turning cold air into an instrument of terror and conquest, we need a lot of things, from generators with various capacities to Starlink," President Zelensky said.

"As well as assistance to tame mines or equipment for firefighters and rescue workers, for our doctors, already provided at the French city and municipality level, providing generators and special communication systems," he said.

"This is really a clear protection for people," he said.

As previously reported, Ukrainians are preparing to face winter with little or no electricity in some areas, including the capital, where temperatures have dropped below freezing, as a relentless Russian attack paralyzed half of the country's energy capacity.

President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to the public to save electricity, especially in the worst-affected areas such as Kyiv,engestia in the southwest, Sumy in the north and Odesa in the Black Sea.

Russia is known to have carried out successive missile attacks in response to its troops' setbacks on the battlefield, with President Zelensky saying half of the country's electric capacity had been destroyed by Russian rockets.

Millions of Ukrainians will most likely live with blackouts, at least until the end of March, the chief major energy provider said on Monday.