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Russian lawmaker says talks in Lvov didn’t guarantee Ukraine will stop ‘nuclear blackmail’

According to the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Leonid Slutsky, Kyiv "is repeating false accusations against Russia like mantras, completely distorting the picture of what is happening today in Zaporozhye"

LDPR Leader and Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

LDPR Leader and Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. State Duma Committee on International Affairs Chairman Leonid Slutsky said the talks of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Lvov on Thursday didn’t provide guarantees that Ukraine will halt a "nuclear blackmail."

"The situation around the Zaporozhye NPP is only heating up. And the talks in Lvov have not yet given clear guarantees of an end to nuclear blackmail from the Ukrainian side," he said.

According to the lawmaker, Kiev "repeats false accusations against Russia like mantras, completely distorting the picture of what is happening today in Zaporozhye."

"In this situation, it’s really necessary to compare notes. And quite likely, it could be the format of an extraordinary meeting of the Duma Council," he said. The lawmaker said State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has indicated that he would discuss with the leaders of parliamentary factions on Monday the possibility of holding that meeting.

Zelensky, Guterres and Erdogan held talks in Lvov on Thursday. It was decided that the UN would support the mission of IAEA inspectors to the Zaporozhye NPP if Moscow and Kiev agreed to the visit. Turkey will help to rebuild Ukraine's infrastructure that was destroyed.

According to statements by the sides, the prospects for the development and settlement of the Ukrainian conflict were discussed at the talks. However, the office of the UN Secretary General said that there’s still a long way to go before negotiations to halt the hostilities could start.

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Ukraine Leonid Slutsky Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Vladimir Zelensky Antonio Guterres

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