Irresponsible military activity near nuclear power plants threatens everyone, so it is necessary to guarantee the safety of nuclear power plants in the Ukrainian conflict zone, said on February 22 during special sessions UN General Assembly for Ukraine UN Secretary General António Guterres.
“Day by day, we are reminded of the grave threat to all of us as hostilities continue irresponsibly around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe. I welcome the efforts of the IAEA to involve all parties in ensuring the security of the territory,” he said.
Hutterish stressed that the safety of all Ukrainian nuclear power plants must also be guaranteed.
Earlier in February, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said that the situation around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant remains unstable and unpredictable. He once again emphasized the importance of creating a security zone around the facility, noting Moscow’s efforts in the negotiations to promote this initiative.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna, in turn, pointed out at the end of January that Ukraine had not given an answer for the fifth month to the draft declaration submitted to it on the creation of a protective zone around the Zaporizhzhya NPP. He recalled that Grossi handed over the draft declaration to the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmitry Kuleba on September 21.
Zaporozhye NPP is the largest NPP in Europe in terms of the number of units and installed capacity. The object came under the control of Russia following the results of the referendum on the reunification of the Zaporozhye region with the Russian Federation.
The power plant has been under the supervision of IAEA staff since the beginning of September 2022. The mission of the organization arrived at the Zaporizhia NPP after shelling of the territory of the plant by Ukrainian troops.
