(ANSA) – ROME, 24 August – Pope Francis on Wednesday called for “concrete measures to end the war (in Ukraine) and avert a nuclear disaster in Zaporizhia.”Francis said in front of a general audience, “Today I renew my invitation to ask the Lord for peace for my beloved Ukrainian people, who have been suffering the horrors of war for six months.”A new round of Russian shelling hit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said a mission to Ukraine’s nuclear power plant was “imminent”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council that Russia “must stop nuclear blackmail”. He said the future of the world will be decided on Ukrainian territory. Outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has also urged moves to avoid a disaster at a nuclear power plant.

Source: The Irish Times August 24, 2022 17:06 UTC