Russia has not learned from Chernobyl and poses a new global threat, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia has not learned the lessons of the Chernobyl disaster and called on international partners to stand united in the face of current security and nuclear challenges.
He made these remarks during a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
“Today we welcome the President of Moldova, Ms. Maia Sandu, to Ukraine. We appreciate that this visit takes place on such a very special day—when we commemorate the accident at the Chernobyl power plant and the tremendous solidarity and self-sacrifice of our people, which allowed us to protect our country, our entire region, all of Europe, and the world from an even greater catastrophe,” Zelenskyy noted.
The President emphasized that even 40 years after the accident, its consequences have not lost their significance.
“Forty years have passed since then, and we still speak of this not as a historical fact, not as something that can simply be left in textbooks or in memories. The threats we face today are no less serious—given what Russia is doing to our Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and, more broadly, to our energy sector and our land,” he emphasized.
According to the head of state, Russia’s actions demonstrate a complete disregard for the lessons of 1986.
“In 2022, the Russians occupied the Chernobyl plant, turning it into a springboard for war. This demonstrates that they have drawn no conclusions and learned nothing from the Soviet mistakes,” Zelenskyy stressed.
The president called on European countries to unite as much as possible in the face of these threats.
“All of Russia’s neighbors, all Europeans, should be as united as possible and act in a coordinated manner, because our interests are shared: security, economic, and energy interests,” he said.
Zelenskyy emphasized that the current war has global consequences.
“What Russia is doing—war, terror, instability—is a catastrophe, truly a catastrophe no less than Chernobyl. And solidarity is needed now just as strongly as it was then to protect our lives, our independence, and our state from war,” the president concluded.
As a reminder, Ukraine and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) signed a memorandum of understanding that provides for enhanced technical support and expanded cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu arrived in Ukraine on April 26. The visit includes planned talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as a trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia and impose sanctions against the state-owned corporation Rosatom.
