Europe

Zelensky visits Zaporizhia together with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency

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The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, traveled in the company of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, to the city of Zaporizhia. Grossi assured that the situation at the nuclear plant with the same name, the largest in Europe, continues to be delicate and reiterated his support for the European country.

“It’s not getting better,” Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said of the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe.

Some statements that came during a visit with the Ukrainian president Volodímir Zelenski to the homonymous city, a few kilometers from the place controlled by the Russian forces.

Grossi assured that the outlook continues to be dangerous because the fighting continues in the area.

All six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are shut down and it is receiving the electricity it needs to prevent a reactor meltdown via a single remaining power line. At times it has had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential refrigeration systems.

As reported by the AP news agency, Grossi expressed concern about the military presence around him and the blackout that recently hit the facility. Something that has happened repeatedly since Russian forces seized it last year.

An upcoming IAEA visit to Zaporizhia

Grossi plans to visit the plant this week for the second time since the invasion of Russia began 13 months ago. The Vienna-based agency has staff permanently deployed to the plant since its last trip in September last year.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, visited the Dnipro hydroelectric power station.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, and the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, visited the Dnipro hydroelectric power station. © Ukrainian Press Sector / Via Reuters

Earlier this month, fighting knocked out power to the plant for half a day, forcing staff to turn on backup generators. A situation that alarmed the body.

“Every time we throw a dice,” Grossi had sentenced. “And if we allow this to continue over and over again, one day our luck will run out.”

The meeting between Zelensky and Grossi

Grossi and Zelensky met in the city of Zaporizhia, which is located in Ukrainian-controlled territory, about 50 kilometers northeast of the nuclear plant.

The head of the IAEA assured that it was a fruitful meeting. Grossi emphasized that this was the seventh trip to Ukraine and reiterated his support for “as long as it takes.”

While Zelenski ruled, according to the website of the Presidency, that “Without an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops and personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and adjacent areas, any initiative to restore nuclear safety is doomed to failure.”

The IAEA said in January it was placing teams of experts at Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants to reduce the risk of accidents, including the now-closed Chernobyl plant, whose deadly 1986 nuclear accident swept across much of Europe.

For his part, Zelensky visited andl front of the Zaporizhzhia region. “It is an honor for me to be here today, together with our Army,” said the president. There he handed out medals to Ukrainian soldiers.

The visit takes place within the framework of the announcement of a counterattack to the invading troops in Avdiivka, in the east of the country. Ukraine shifted the focus of its offensive on Bakhmut to target Bakhmut.

With AP and Reuters

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