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An uptick in fighting in recent weeks near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear facility in southern Ukraine and Europe’s largest has raised fears of a possible nuclear accident. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) wants to send a mission to inspect the plant, but does not yet have access. In an exclusive interview with France 24, the director general of this institution, Rafael Mariano Grossi, expressed his hope that the visit would take place within “days.”
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need to send a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhia nuclear plant in Ukraine. In a telephone conversation, both leaders also agreed to talk before the deployment of an inspection mission.
“There is an urgent need to lower the tension between the two parties,” Grossi said of the announcement in a statement. The decision was announced two weeks after Grossi warned that the nuclear facility is “completely out of control.”
In an interview with France 24, when asked if talks to gain access to the facilities had been successful, Grossi said “we are very, very close to that”, while warning that the operation was “extremely complex”.
Pressed for a timetable, the IAEA chief said he expected the mission to take place within “days”.
Faced with the risk of a nuclear accident in Zaporizhia, “we have to go there, we have to stabilize the situation, we have to ensure the presence of the IAEA soon,” Grossi stressed.
Rafael Grossi also addressed the Iranian nuclear issue. He believes the discussions are progressing; that an agreement “is not far away” between the different actors and highlights the “crucial role” of the European Union in these discussions, assuring that Iran is “waiting for the renewal of the agreement” to get out of this impasse.
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