Grossi meets with Zelensky to talk about the Zaporizhia power plant after the destruction of the dam

June 13 () –

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, met this Tuesday with the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, to discuss the current situation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after the floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam.

“I am pleased to welcome you. Thank you for your presence in Ukraine. For quickly responding to the challenges that are on the table,” Zelenski indicated, emphasizing that Grossi is going to visit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to supervise its operation after the destruction of the Kajovka dam.

Likewise, Zelenski has once again recalled that the only way to prevent a nuclear accident is the demilitarization of the plant, as well as total control over its facilities by Kiev, the Ukrainian Presidency reported in a statement.

The Ukrainian president has also supported Grossi in his decision to send a group of IAEA experts to assess the consequences of the destruction of the dam. For now, the UN agency has reported that it is still possible to pump water to cool the Zaporizhia reactors.

For his part, Grossi has reported on his Twitter profile that both have discussed an assistance program for Kiev focused on the management of Ukrainian soils, animal health, as well as the treatment of both food and drinking water.

The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, 60 kilometers from the city of Kherson, was destroyed early Tuesday morning and has completely flooded numerous settlements in Kherson, killing at least five people. The authorities of both countries are evacuating the inhabitants of the affected areas.

Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of the destruction of the dam, which endangers the pumping of water to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the supply of water to the Crimean peninsula, under Russian control, and the destruction of populations and farmland on both banks of the river.