Rafael Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that the withdrawal of weapons from the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant will be part of the agreement signed between the agency and Kyiv and Moscow.
“The Ukrainians want the business to withdraw the weapons, and this is understandable if you look at the situation from their point of view. It will already be part of the overall deal,” Grossi said in an interview with La Repubblica.
According to Grossi, both sides agreed in principle not to bombard the station and not shoot from their own territory.
“Russia is not against the agreement and the principle of protecting an industrial plant,” said the IAEA chief.
Grossi stressed that the agency’s work at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is aimed at “preventing a nuclear accident, not creating a militarily favorable situation for one side.” When asked who fired the ZNPP, Grossi said “it’s not his job to take responsibility”.
“My obligation is to find a solution as soon as possible. Hopefully by the end of the year. I know that the president [России Владимир] Putin is following the process and I do not exclude a new meeting with him and the President of Ukraine in the near future. [Владимиром] Zelensky, the director of the agency, said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also plans to help resolve the situation. In an interview with TF1, he stated, “After meeting with the Director-General of the IAEA, he plans to meet with President Putin and discuss the issue. <…> The situation in civil nuclear energy in Ukraine”.
“There is already a proposal aimed at stopping the reckless bombing of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant,” Grossi said earlier. He stressed that negotiations on this issue are continuing.
Russia, as Alexei Likhachev, CEO of the state company Rosatom, has already established its position and now “the ball is not on its side.” He emphasized that a security zone should be created in ZNPP as soon as possible.
According to Likhachev, the model of action discussed with the IAEA does not include any bombardment of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The head of Rosatom emphasized that Russia does not have offensive weapons at the station, only its own means of physical protection and the protection of the facility are located there.
If a security zone is created, the Russian army will remain in the ZNPP, Likhachev said: “The battle zone is literally a few kilometers away, the Zaporozhye station needs increased security, and in this sense, Russia’s obligation is not to deploy offensive weapons. and shoot the forces there. And of course the protection must be comprehensive for the security of the station.
Despite Russia continuing to protect the ZNPP and remain in Energodar, Kyiv is reporting that the Russian Armed Forces will soon leave the city. These data were refuted by Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov. “There’s no need to look for any signs,” he said. [намерений России оставить Энергодар и ЗАЭС] where they are not and cannot be.
Volodymyr Rogov, head of the movement “We are with Russia”, a member of the main council of the administration of the Zaporozhye region, called such statements from Ukraine “stuffing”.
“This is part of the information and psychological operation of the Ukrainian special services. It was implemented according to the following scheme: first, allegedly, stuffing is done in the Russian media, and only then the Ukrainian authorities refer to it, ”Rogov told RIA Novosti.
He stated that the Russian troops would not leave their positions. “People should not worry about this. Russia’s withdrawal from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is like death – this will lead to the loss of the Zaporozhye region, so this option is excluded, ”the official said.