Vienna: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will strengthen its presence at all the nuclear power plants in Ukraine, the Vienna-based UN watchdog’s Director-General Rafael Grossi said.
“The IAEA will strengthen its presence in all Ukraine’s NPPs to protect its energy infrastructure,” Grossi tweeted after his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Bucharest, Romania.
Grossi said he continues working with Kuleba toward the urgent establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, reported Xinhua news agency.
Separately, Kuleba tweeted that the security of the Ukrainian personnel, who work at the Zaporizhzhia plant, was also discussed at the talks.
The minister said that during the conversation with Grossi he reiterated the need for Russia’s forces withdrawal from the Zaporizhzhia plant, one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe, which has been under the control of Russian forces since March.
Out of five nuclear power plants in Ukraine four are operational.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which witnessed the world’s worst-ever nuclear disaster on April 26, 1988, was completely shut down on December 15, 2000.