The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has welcomed the reactions of Russia and Ukraine to “concrete principles” to protect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. ‘We are encouraged by the expressed support for our work, including the five principles I set out today’; Grossi told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday. This is “a step in the right direction when it comes to the protection and safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” Grossi said.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, has welcomed the reactions of Russia and Ukraine to “concrete principles” to protect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “We are encouraged by the expressed support for our work, including the five principles I set out today”; Grossi told the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday. This is “a step in the right direction when it comes to the protection and safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant,” said Grossi.
The main thing is “that there should be no attack from or on the system,” said the diplomat. In addition, Zaporizhia “should not be used as a warehouse or base for heavy weapons”, this also applies to rocket launchers, tanks or military personnel. In addition, “every effort should be made to ensure that electricity from outside is available and safe at all times”.
Rossi also emphasized that all buildings and components that are fundamental to the safe operation of the facility “must be protected against attacks or acts of sabotage”. The IAEA will monitor compliance with the principles on site, Grossi announced.
Grossi later told journalists that he was encouraged “that the principles had been “widely supported” and “no voice had spoken out against them”.
The representatives of Russia and Ukraine in the UN Security Council blamed each other for the crisis at the nuclear power plant, but did not reject the principles presented by the IAEA.
Grossi, who has a team of experts on site, visited the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant at the end of March and then warned of the “very real danger of a nuclear accident”. The nuclear power plant has been shot at repeatedly since it was occupied. Despite the efforts of the United Nations, a demilitarized zone around the site never materialized.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is the largest in Europe. Russian forces have controlled the six-reactor facility since March last year, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin first sent troops across the Ukrainian border.