Rafael Grossi said the IAEA needed access to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine so that its inspectors could, among other things, re-establish links to the site with the UN headquarters in Vienna. Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors give it one of the largest nuclear power capabilities in the world, and Russia’s invasion has effectively turned parts of the country into a nuclear minefield. Time and again since the invasion, nuclear experts have been watching with concern that Russian forces are reluctantly approaching multiple nuclear power plants in Ukraine. Grossi said the Zaporizhzhia plant needed repairs. “There are two units that are active, in active operation; others that are under repair or cooling. “And there are some activities, technical activities and also inspection activities that need to be done,” Grossi said. “So the situation as I have described it, and I will repeat it today, is not as sustainable as it is,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. This is a flashing red light. “ Members of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps fire a shell as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in a position in the Zaporizka region of Ukraine [File: Stanislav Yurchenko/Reuters] The IAEA chief spoke in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, a day after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “It makes sense, my Ukrainian counterparts do not want IAEA inspectors to go to one of their own facilities under the authority of a third force,” Grossi said. “I had a long discussion about this with President Zelenskyy last night and it is something that will still require consultation. “We are not there yet.” The IAEA chief said he continued to press the Russian government for access to the Zaporizhia plant. “I do not see any movement in this direction as we speak,” he said. But he will meet with the Russian side “soon”.
‘Unprecedented’
A security official at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant said Russian planes had flown over the damaged reactor site and Russian troops had dug trenches in very radioactive soil. On Monday, Russian cruise missiles flew over the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant in western Ukraine. “There can be no military action in or around a nuclear plant,” Grossi said, adding that he had called on Russia to do so. “It is unprecedented that a war is unfolding between one of the largest nuclear infrastructures in the world, which, of course, creates a series of fragile or weak points that could of course be exploited intentionally or unintentionally,” he added. “So this requires a lot of activity on our part and cooperation. Cooperation from the Russian side. “Understanding from the Ukrainian side to avoid an accident.” A shelter construction covers the reactor that exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear project [File: Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo]
“I can not afford to stop”
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Grossi said his office was still trying to clarify Tehran’s answers to outstanding questions about traces of man-made enriched uranium at three locations in the country. Iran and the IAEA are trying to resolve a number of issues after the collapse of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers, including regaining access to video from surveillance cameras at the country’s nuclear facilities. He acknowledged that Iran’s ability to enrich uranium after the collapse of the agreement has expanded as it uses more advanced centrifuges. Tehran recently relocated a centrifuge lab to its underground nuclear facility in Natanz following a suspected Israeli attack. “They are transferring the ability to produce a centrifuge to a place where they feel more protected,” Grossi said. Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with US and European support for Ukraine in the conflict, has increased tensions between Russia and the West, but it is “urgent for us to look for common denominators despite these difficulties,” Grossi said. “We can not afford to stop. We must continue. It is in the interest of the world, “said Roni Bar-On, a Member of the Knesset for Kadima.
