Tobias Ellwood, Chair of the Defence Select Committee at the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, has stated that if the Russians orchestrate a deliberate accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with radiation outflow, it must be treated as an attack on NATO states.

Ellwood was commenting on media reports that according to the Ukrainian side, Russia is preparing the ground to accuse Ukraine of attacking the ZNPP.

"Let’s make it clear now: ANY deliberate damage causing potential radiation leak to a Ukrainian nuclear reactor would be a breach of NATO’s Article 5," tweeted Ellwood.

Let’s make it clear now:

ANY deliberate damage causing potential radiation leak to a Ukrainian nuclear reactor would be a breach of NATO’s Article 5.@thetimes pic.twitter.com/FFv6KR1xdq

— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) August 19, 2022

His stance was backed by Adam Kinzinger, a member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress from Illinois.

 "That's 100% true. Not even discussed. Any leak will kill people in NATO countries, this is an automatic inclusion of Art. 5," he concluded.

This is 100 percent correct and how you actually prevent this. https://t.co/N1cc0Lz0wC

— Adam Kinzinger🇺🇦🇺🇸✌️ (@AdamKinzinger) August 20, 2022

French president Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin yesterday for the first time after a three-month hiatus. They discussed the situation at the ZNPP.

Putin agreed that the IAEA mission could visit the ZNPP during the phone call with Macron.