Finance
At the start of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo announced that Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, had requested the dispatch of an IAEA mission “to carry out essential safety, security, and safeguard activities at the site.”
“Preparations for the mission are proceeding and the IAEA is in active consultations with all parties regarding its efforts to send such a mission as soon as possible,” DiCarlo said. “We welcome Ukraine and Russia’s recent statements indicating support for the IAEA’s aim to send a mission to the plant, which would be the IAEA’s first to that site since the start of the war.”
Grossi said in a statement that “the mission is expected to take place within the next few days if ongoing negotiations succeed.”
DiCarlo said the UN has the logistics and security capacity in Ukraine “to support any IAEA mission to the plant from Kyiv, provided Ukraine and Russia agree.”
Russian forces have had control of the Zaporizhzhia plant since early March, shortly after their invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s technical experts continue to operate the nuclear equipment.
DiCarlo described the situation at the plant as “dangerous,” warning that if the almost daily reports of “alarming incidents involving the plant” continue or worsen, “we could face a disaster.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that “the nuclear safety situation has further deteriorated” since the council’s last meeting on the operation of Zaporizhzhia about two weeks ago.
“The armed forces of Ukraine continue basically every day to shell the territory of the nuclear power plant and the town of Enerhodar and this creates a real risk of a radiation accident,” he said.
“We expect that the IAEA trip mission will take place in the very near future and the agency experts will confirm the real situation at the station,” Nebenzia said. “We stand ready to extend maximum support possible to resolve all organizational issues.”
Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s UN Ambassador, welcomed the IAEA’s Grossi’s willingness to send a mission to Zaporizhzhia. He stated that earlier Tuesday, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to Grossi’s letter with the proposed IAEA itinerary, stating that it is in accordance with Ukrainian legislation “and in general might be accepted.”
“Further arrangements are to be made based on the security conditions and require communication of detailed route plans and other logistical aspects as soon as possible,” Kyslytsya said.
Kyslytsya emphasized that Ukraine wants the IAEA mission to be strengthened by incorporating “military and political components,” as well as having IAEA experts stay at the plant until it is returned to Ukraine.
He also reiterated Ukraine’s demand for Russian troops to leave Zaporizhzhia and the establishment of a demilitarized zone around the plant.
Following last week’s high-level meeting in Lviv, western Ukraine, between UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the presidents of Ukraine and Turkey, it appeared that progress had been made toward an IAEA mission to the plant. However, there had been no indication of progress until DiCarlo’s announcement.
DiCarlo informed the council that the UN Secretary-General had discussed the plant’s safety during a phone call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Aug. 15, as well as with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the Aug. 18 Lviv meeting.
The Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors both blamed their respective countries for the attacks in and around Zaporizhzhia.
Nebenzia accused Ukraine of “using nuclear blackmail” by shelling the plant, and he dismissed Western proposals for Russian forces to withdraw and a demilitarized zone as “irresponsible.” He claims they do not consider the need for the plant’s safe operation.
Addressing Western members of the council, he said: “Once again, we appeal to you to stop covering up what your Kyiv protegees are doing and compel them to stop attacking the Zaporizhzhia (plant) which is fraught with risk of accident and radioactive contamination of European countries.”
Nebenzia cited Russian Defense Ministry reports alleging Ukrainian shelling and said “a whole slew of such photographic evidence” was sent to Security Council members on Tuesday.
He insisted that Russia has no heavy weapons at the plant, and that a “disaster” has been avoided because of the “smooth joint work” between the Ukrainian workers, fire squads, emergency people and Russian military.
Ukraine’s Kyslytsya said Russia needs Zaporizhzhia to “wage war” against his country and accused Moscow of “turning the issue of nuclear safety at the facility into a farce, a circus.”
“Nobody who is at least conscious can imagine that Ukraine would target a nuclear power plant at tremendous risk of nuclear catastrophe and on its own territory,” he said. “Such a catastrophe would lead to many deaths and pollution for many years to come.”
