“You see, they captured our nuclear power plant, six blocks. The biggest in Europe. It means six Chernobyls, it means the biggest danger in Europe. So, they captured it. That means they use nuclear weapons. That’s [a] nuclear weapon,” Zelensky told Muir from the presidential office. “There should be no military personnel. There should be no military equipment on the territory. And there should be no nuclear power plant workers who are–surrounded by people with firearms,” Zelensky added. You can watch more of David Muir’s full interview with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on ABC’s “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America” tomorrow The nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine — the largest in all of Europe — has seen intense shelling in recent weeks as Russia’s invasion turns into an artillery battle with neither side gaining much new ground. Attacks around the site have sparked international concerns of a nuclear incident, with inspectors from the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency on site to assess any damage, safety systems and working conditions. ABC News’ David Muir speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ABC News Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations over who is responsible for the bombings in and around the plant. Russian forces currently occupy the site, although Ukrainian workers are still operating it. Power to the plant has been intermittently cut off due to the bombing, and two of its six reactors operate from only one remaining power line. Power outages threaten the factory’s cooling systems, which are key to preventing collapse. International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi said in a statement on Saturday that the plant was cut off from the last external power line, but could still rely on a backup line to receive electricity during the ongoing bombardment. ABC News’ David Muir speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ABC News “We already have a better understanding of the functionality of the backup power line in connecting the facility to the grid,” Grossi said. “This is critical information to assess the overall situation there.” Zelensky told Muir that he would not consider a controlled shutdown of the plant to prevent any radioactive leaks, given that the site supplies power to two regions of Ukraine as winter approaches. “I know the Russians would like — the reactors — to be disconnected from the Ukrainian grid and — to be connected to the Russian grid. No, we — we don’t agree with those messages,” Zelensky said.
