UN chief demands combat-free zone around Zaporizhzhya plant

UN Secretary General António Guterres has called on Russia and Ukraine to agree on a combat-free zone around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.

"The current situation is untenable and the best action to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine's nuclear facilities and its people would be for this armed conflict to end now," Guterres told the UN Security Council in New York.

The Zaporizhzhya plant and its surroundings must not be a target or platform for military operations, he said.

"Pending the end of the conflict and re-establishment of stable conditions there is an urgent need for interim measures to prevent a nuclear accident arising from physical damage caused by military means," Guterres said.

Guterres was echoing a call by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is urging the creation of "a nuclear safety and security protection zone" to prevent the risk of a radioactive leak.