French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concern to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about safety risks at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant in Ukraine, Macron's office said, adding that Putin had agreed to send a mission of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the site.
A statement also said that the two presidents -- who discussed the situation in Ukraine in a phone call on August 19 -- agreed to continue their talks in the coming days.
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The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was captured by Russia in March, shortly after it invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The plant -- Europe's largest -- has repeatedly come under fire in recent weeks, sparking fears of a nuclear disaster. Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling the plant.
The Kremlin quoted Putin as saying that the shelling of the Russian-controlled nuclear site, which he blamed on Kyiv, created the risk of "large-scale catastrophe."
According to the Kremlin, both leaders called for IAEA experts to inspect the plant "as soon as possible" and "assess the real situation on the ground."
"The Russian side confirmed its readiness to provide the agency inspectors with the necessary assistance," the statement said.
The Kremlin's statement also said Putin told Macron that Moscow had called on the United Nations and the International Red Cross to send representatives to the Ukrainian town of Olenivka, where it claims a missile strike on a detention center in late July killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Olenivka is controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
Russia claims that Ukraine's military used U.S.-supplied precision rocket launchers to target the prison in Olenivka.
The Ukrainian military, however, denied making any rocket or artillery strikes in Olenivka. It accused the Russians of shelling the prison to cover up the alleged torture and execution of Ukrainians there.
SEE ALSO: 'Worse Than Azovstal': Relatives Of Ukrainian POWs At Olenivka Shine The Spotlight On 'Horrific' Conditions ThereThe Kremlin statement also said that Putin briefed Macron on implementation of a UN-brokered July 22 agreement that cleared the way for Ukraine to export more than 20 million tons of corn and other grain stuck in its Black Sea ports since the Russian invasion.
The halt in grain shipments contributed to a spike in global food prices and raised concerns about looming hunger in some African and Middle Eastern countries.