“I don’t think (reaching an agreement) is impossible, but it’s not an easy negotiation,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said
Efforts to reach an agreement to create a “safe zone” around Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is under the control of Russian forces, have been made more difficult by the involvement of military officials in the talks, the head of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi.
The Soviet-built nuclear power plant, the largest in all of Europe, was seized by Russian forces in March in the first phase of the invasion of Ukraine. In recent months, the region has seen repeated attacks, raising fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
“I don’t think (reaching an agreement) is impossible, but it’s not an easy negotiation,” IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Italian public television (Rai).
Grossi — who last year expressed hope for a deal before the end of 2022 — said negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow had become more complicated since the process involved the military rather than just diplomats.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he plans to return to Ukraine next week to meet with President Zelensky and later aspires to travel to Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to meet Grossi, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for the attacks in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant area. “They’re playing with fire,” Grossi said. “A nuclear accident is not in anyone’s interest,” he added.
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