Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Grossi on Tuesday (August 30) in Kyiv, ahead of Grossi’s visit to Zaporizhzhia region to inspect and assess any damage to the nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.
Zelenskiy called for the complete transfer of the control over the power plant to Ukraine.
“Only this way we can eliminate any risks regarding the atomic energy,” Zelenskiy said during the meeting of Ukrainian and IAEA delegations.
Ukraine on Tuesday accused Russia of deliberately shelling a corridor that IAEA officials would need to use to reach the plant in an effort to get them to travel via Russian-annexed Crimea instead. There was no immediate response from Moscow.
The nuclear power plant has been occupied by Russian forces since the first days of the war in Ukraine, but is still managed by Ukrainian staff and connected to Ukraine’s power grid.
Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations of shelling in the plant’s vicinity, fueling fears of a radiation disaster.
The IAEA said its inspectors would assess physical damage to the plant, evaluate the conditions in which staff are working and “determine functionality of safety & security systems.” It would also “perform urgent safeguards activities,” a reference to keeping track of nuclear material.
(Reuters)