It is impossible to agree on safety of Zaporozhye NPP-IAEA
2023.01.11 13:02
It is impossible to agree on safety of Zaporozhye NPP-IAEA
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog stated on Wednesday that the military’s involvement in talks is making it harder to negotiate a safe zone around Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
In March, shortly after their invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces took control of Europe’s largest plant from the Soviet era. In recent months, it has come under fire on multiple occasions, raising concerns about a nuclear accident.
In an interview with Italian public television RAI, Director General Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated, “I don’t believe that (an agreement) is impossible, but it is not an easy negotiation.”
Grossi stated that talks with Kyiv and Moscow have become more complicated due to the involvement of not only diplomats but also military officers. He previously stated that he hoped to broker a deal on protecting the plant before the end of 2022.
In Italian, Grossi stated, “It has become… a longer and more difficult (negotiating) table.”
The head of the IAEA stated that he hoped to travel to Moscow later and return to Ukraine next week to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other high-ranking Ukrainian officials.
Both Kiev and Moscow have alleged that the Zaporizhzhia facility was shelled.
Grossi stated, “They are playing with fire.” “Not even the Russians are interested in a nuclear accident,” he added.
More New York government will be able to independently impose restrictions on weapons
