Biden, European leaders talk Ukraine as fears grow around nuclear plant

Russian shelling near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in eastern Ukraine wounded four people Monday, hours after President Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and the UK about the delicate situation.

A White House readout of Biden’s Sunday call with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Schloz and outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that all four leaders agreed on “the need to avoid military operations near the plant and the importance of an [International Atomic Energy Agency] visit as soon as feasible to ascertain the state of safety systems.”

Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame for heavy shelling in the area over the past few weeks, and fears grew last week that Russian forces would stage a “false flag” operation that could lead to a potential nuclear meltdown.