China urges global community to halt war zone expansion and prevent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear power plants

On September 24, during a meeting of the UN Security Council, China issued a statement addressing Russia's war against Ukraine. Beijing urged the global community to prevent the expansion of the war zone and emphasized the inadmissibility of attacks on nuclear power plants.

Wang Yi, the head of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made this statement following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's notification of Russia's plans to target nuclear facilities in Ukraine.

During his speech, Wang Yi said that China supports an immediate ceasefire and called for the start of peace talks. He also emphasized that the further supply of weapons to the war zone only complicates the settlement process and increases the risks of escalation.

"The "conflict" [China refuses to call Russia's war against Ukraine as "war" – ed.] in Ukraine is becoming increasingly destructive. The situation is unstable and must be resolved; all parties must be sincerely committed to promoting peace talks. The more weapons are sent to the war zone, the more difficult it is to achieve a ceasefire," the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

According to Beijing, China has also called for refraining from sanctions, which hurt the global economy. Wang Yi noted that the continuation of sanctions threatens one of the main goals of the UN – sustainable development and that sanctions and restrictions on world trade only exacerbate the crisis.

Wang Yi also confirmed that China's position remains unchanged:

• the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected,
• the UN Charter must be implemented.

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected. The goals and principles of the UN Charter must be fulfilled. The legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously, and it is also important to support all initiatives aimed at resolving this crisis," Wang Yi said.

Despite China's efforts to promote its "peace plan," it has avoided directly condemning Russia, leading to criticism from nations offering Ukraine military and economic aid.

For reference:

On September 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council, emphasizing that Russia's war against Ukraine should be ended, not frozen. This will only happen once the UN Charter is fully implemented.

The head of state said that Ukraine has evidence that the Russian Federation is ready to attack three Ukrainian nuclear power plants.

"If Russia is ready to go that far, it means – nothing you value matters to Moscow. This kind of Russian cynicism will keep striking if it's given any room in the world," Zelensky emphasized.

It is worth mentioning that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the biggest in Europe and was seized in the initial weeks of the full-scale Russian invasion.

The Russians converted the nuclear power plant into a military site, with stationed soldiers and equipment. They also placed mines around the premises. Ukrainian staff are employed at the NPP, but the Russians have sent their "management" from Moscow. There is also an IAEA monitoring mission present at the ZNPP.

In the spring of 2024, it was revealed that the Russians had established a military base on the ZNPP's territory. Among the soldiers present were members of the Chechen unit of the Russian Guard, known as "Akhmat." The invaders had also established a military unit for the Russian Guard within the occupied ZNPP area.

On September 20, the IAEA adopted a resolution on nuclear safety in Ukraine at its general conference. Russia was called upon to immediately de-occupy the Zaporizhzhia NPP.