Zelensky: The IAEA mission to the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia can still play an important role

In mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plantin southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian president focused on his statements Volodymyr Zelensky saying that “it can still play an important role despite the difficulties it faces due to the Russian presence».

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characteristically noted on Friday (1/9) in his message broadcast live via video link at The European House, Ambrosetti Forum in northern Italy: “We have done everything to ensure that the IAEA has access to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and I believe that this mission may still have a role to play».

Earlier, the Ukrainian nuclear energy company Energoatom pointed out that it would be difficult for this mission to make an impartial assessment of the situation.

“We did not hear the main thing from the IAEA, which is the request to Russia to demilitarize the station”

“Unfortunately, we did not hear the main thing from the IAEA, which is the request to Russia to demilitarize the station,” the Ukrainian president underlined.

“I hope that the mission will adhere to what we have agreed and that it will serve the interests of the entire international community,” he said, as reported by the Athens News Agency.

Ensuring that the plant returns to safe operating conditions and remains connected to the Ukrainian energy grid will help Ukraine act to address Europe’s energy crisis, the Ukrainian president also stressed, noting that “Ukraine intends to increase electricity exports to EU member countries’.

Earlier today, Energoatom pointed out that the IAEA mission, which arrived at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant yesterday, Thursday, was not allowed to enter the crisis management center, where according to the Ukraine Russia has deployed troops.

“The Russians did not allow the mission to enter the crisis (management) center, where deployed Russian military personnel are located, which IAEA mission members should not be able to see,” Energoatom underlined in a Telegram message.

The Zaporizhia power station, Europe’s largest, was seized by Moscow forces in March but is still connected to the Ukrainian power grid and operated by employees of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company Energoatom.

The site of the nuclear plant has come under repeated shelling in the past month, for which Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other.

“The (Russian) occupying forces are distorting the facts and evidence proving their bombing of the nuclear plant, as well as the consequences of the damage to its infrastructure,” Energoatom stressed, according to which: “It is clear that under such conditions it will be difficult for the IAEA to make an unbiased assessment of the situation at the station.”