UN Watchdog Chief Meets With Russia Over Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant

Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN’s nuclear agency, met with Russian officials in Kaliningrad on Wednesday to speak about making sure the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, which is controlled by Moscow, is secure.

His journey to the Russian exclave, which is stuck between Poland and Lithuania, comes a week after he visited the troubled facility and said he was working on a safety plan that would work for both Kyiv and Moscow.

In March of last year, Russian troops dispatched across the border by Russian President Vladimir Putin took control of the six-reactor plant in southern Ukraine.

There have always been worries about the safety of the facility, which is the biggest nuclear power station in Europe.

“In Kaliningrad, I met high-level officials from a number of Russian agencies,” Grossi wrote on Twitter.

He remarked, “I’ll keep working to protect the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant because it’s in everyone’s best interest.”

He didn’t give any more information.

Alexei Likhachev, who is in charge of Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom, was one of the people Grossi met.

Rosatom said in a statement that Likhachev told Grossi about “the steps that are being taken by the Russian side to make sure the safe operation” of the facility.

The message also said that Russia was “ready to work on” any of Grossi’s ideas.

Grossi stated last week when he went to the factory that he was “trying to prepare and propose realistic measures that will be accepted by all parties.”

“We need to avoid a disaster,” he said, adding that he hoped Russia and Ukraine could agree on safety rules.

Kyiv and Moscow have both accused the other of firing shells at the plant, making people worry that something bad may happen.

The UN has asked for a zone around the location that is not armed.