The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi warned Russia on Wednesday against any hasty restart of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Moscow's forces in southern Ukraine.
Rafael Grossi is visiting Russia, where he is due to meet President Vladimir Putin for the first time since 2022 and to discuss in particular the “precarious” situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.
Controlled by Russian troops since March 2022, the plant has been targeted by multiple bombings and cut off from the electricity grid on numerous occasions.
Both camps accuse each other of wanting to cause a catastrophe there.
Also read At the end of February, the IAEA warns after “powerful explosions” near the Zaporizhzhia power plant
The head of the IAEA explained to AFP this Wednesday in Sochi, in southern Russia, that he had explained to his Russian interlocutors that any restart of the Zaporizhzhia plant “would require a certain number of serious considerations”.
The situation remains “very worrying”
“This is a military combat zone.
An active combat zone,” underlined the head of the IAEA, while recalling that the plant has been shut down “for a long period” and that a certain number of security assessments must therefore be carried out. ".
The head of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, confirmed to Russian news agencies that he had discussed with Rafael Grossi "the measures to be taken to guarantee the safety (of the plant) not only when shut down, but also in operation." of active operation”.
He also told AFP that it was “very important to continue the dialogue with Russia”.
The head of the IAEA had already met with Vladimir Putin in October 2022 and visited Ukraine several times to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He called on Russia and Ukraine “to exercise utmost restraint” in order to avoid a nuclear accident.
According to him, the situation remains “very worrying” at the Zaporizhzhia power plant.