Zelenskyy, atomic agency chief discuss nuclear plant fears
CTV
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with UN atomic energy chief Rafael Mariano Grossi in southern Ukraine on Monday.
The UN's atomic energy chief warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a meeting Monday that the perilous situation at Europe's largest nuclear plant "isn't getting any better" as relentless fighting in the area puts the facility at risk of a nuclear disaster.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which continues to power war-torn Ukraine, has lost several of its power transmission cables during Russia's war, and on multiple occasions has had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential cooling systems preventing a meltdown.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi plans to visit the Russian-held plant this week. The Vienna-based agency has staff permanently deployed at the plant following Russia's invasion 13 months ago.
In the meeting, covered exclusively by The Associated Press, Grossi said the situation at the plant remains tense because of the heavy military presence around it and a blackout that recently struck the facility, something that has occurred repeatedly since Russian forces took it over last year.
Earlier this month, fighting interrupted power supply to the plant for half a day, forcing staff to activate backup generators.
Grossi expressed alarm at that development. "Each time we are rolling a dice," he told his agency at the time. "And if we allow this to continue time after time, then one day our luck will run out."
Grossi and Zelenskyy met in the the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is in Ukrainian-held territory, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) northeast of the nuclear plant with the same name.
