The Minister of Energy of Ukraine, German Galushchenko, held a bilateral meeting with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi. The parties met in Vienna, Austria, where a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors is taking place.
After three years of russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine and the russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, nuclear and radiation safety threats remain extremely high. Continuous incidents caused by shelling and the criminal actions of the aggressor state pose a significant danger.
russia’s constant attacks on critical infrastructure are unacceptable. Civilian infrastructure must remain outside military operations, and its protection must be a priority for the international community.
In particular, the parties discussed the russian drone attack on the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl NPP. The Minister called this an unprecedented criminal act, urging immediate measures to strengthen the protection of all nuclear facilities in Ukraine and to ensure that nuclear power plants can never again become direct targets of attacks.
Special attention during the discussion was given to the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, specifically the nuclear safety threats at the plant, which remain extremely high due to the hostile occupation of the facility, as well as the unauthorized rotation of IAEA experts at the plant. It was emphasized that future rotations must take place exclusively via routes agreed upon with the Ukrainian authorities and through territories fully controlled by the Ukrainian government.
"russia must not go unpunished for seizing the NPP and creating risks to nuclear and radiation safety. Otherwise, it will set a precedent showing that such a blatant violation of nuclear safety has no legal consequences. The IAEA’s role in conveying information to the international community about russia’s violations and crimes at the Zaporizhzhia NPP is critically important," said German Galushchenko.
