Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Friday expressed regret over the slow pace of the negotiation process to create a security zone around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporozhye.
In a statement following two days of contacts in the Russian Federation, which has occupied the center for almost a year since the invasion of Ukraine began, Grossi said: “I continue to hope that this zone will be established, although progress should have been faster. For the sake of nuclear security in Ukraine and beyond, I will continue my efforts until this becomes a reality.”
On Thursday, Grossi met with Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev, after which he warned that “unfortunately, the situation remains very fragile and unstable.”
The last time the IAEA Director General was in Moscow was in December 2022, when he met with Likhachev.
In January, Grossi traveled to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the security situation in Zaporozhye and the deployment of IAEA missions to other nuclear power plants in the country.
The operation of the nuclear power plant is still guaranteed by Ukrainian technicians, who the Russians integrated into the Rosatom-run structure following Russia’s annexation of Zaporozhye in September 2022, which Ukraine and Western allies deemed illegal.
The plant was periodically bombed, for which Moscow and Kyiv bear mutual responsibility.
The IAEA has proposed creating a demilitarized zone around the nuclear power plant, where the UN agency established a permanent presence last year, but there is still no agreement between the parties.