Russia assesses chances for peace talks, Kiev talks about cooling ponds in Zaporizhzhia

Russia affirms its readiness to dialogue and communicate with Africa about the conflict, Italy and France continue to affirm their commitment... are some new developments about the situation in Ukraine.

Nhà máy điện hạt nhân Zaporizhzhia. (Nguồn: Reuters)

Safety issues at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant continue to cause controversy between Russia and Ukraine. (Source: Reuters)

On June 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “very productive” talks with African leaders on June 17, and remained open to dialogue and communication about Ukraine.

However, according to Mr. Peskov, based on Kiev's "history of positions", it is "difficult to talk about stable bases" for peace talks.

* On the same day, speaking on national television, Director of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service Kirillo Budanov accused Moscow of “exploiting” the cooling pond used to keep reactors cool at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. However, this official did not provide evidence for his assertion.

Russia has not yet commented on the above statement by the Ukrainian representative.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, with a complex of six reactors, was taken over by Russian forces in February last year. Both sides accused each other of shelling the plant and surrounding areas.

So far, international efforts to establish a demilitarized zone around the plant have been unsuccessful.

* In another news, writing on Facebook , Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said, “The Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest has sought to repatriate three Ukrainian prisoners of war from Hungary.”

According to Mr. Nikolenko, the country’s diplomatic staff and other relevant agencies are working to repatriate the remaining prisoners. Previously, on June 9, Hungary said it had received a group of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russia.

* Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a senior European Union (EU) official as saying that at the Summit on June 29-30, leaders of member states will call on China to play a more active role in ending the conflict in Ukraine and participating in solving global challenges such as climate change.

At the same time, the official said, the draft conclusions are in line with the statement of the Group of Seven (G7) leading developed economies from May, but relate to more specific issues between the EU and China, such as rebalancing economic relations and the need for reciprocity.

Referring to the EU's policy to reduce economic dependence on China, the official commented: "In my opinion, it is important that we set out the concept of risk reduction and diversification."

* Meanwhile, speaking about the conflict in Ukraine at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on June 20, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni affirmed: "It is certain that Italy and France will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary."

Underscoring the Franco-Italian commitment, Meloni said the SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system, which the two countries have been working on for months, is now operational in the field in Ukraine.

For his part, the French President said that Paris and Rome are united in supporting Kiev.

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