Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacts to IAEA report on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: mission needs broader mandate to drive out the Russian Federation
ALONA MAZURENKO — TUESDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2022, 23:52
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes, based on the results of the IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, that the international organisation needs a broader mandate to force Russia to demilitarise the territory of the nuclear power plant and return full control to Ukraine.
Source: Zelenskyy's video address
Quote from Zelenskyy: "Regarding the proposal of the IAEA Director General Grossi to create a protection zone at the plant, we need to look at the specific content of such an instrument: what exactly can be called protection?
If the content of this proposal is to demilitarise the territory of the nuclear power plant – and this is logical, since it was the Russian military presence that put the Zaporizhzhia NPP on the brink of a radiation disaster – then we can support such a demilitarised protection zone.
In any case, it is felt that modern international organisations need a much broader mandate for their actions.
I believe that the world not only deserves but also needs the IAEA representatives to force Russia to demilitarise the territory of the nuclear power plant and return full control to Ukraine."
Details: According to Zelenskyy, if Russia has put the world on the brink of a radiation disaster, then the world must have the appropriate means to ibympose conditions on Russia where the terrorist state will be forced to stop using terror.
On 6 September, the IAEA mission which visited the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant presented a documentary summary of its work.
The report notes the presence of Russian military equipment on the territory of the nuclear power plant, focuses on pressure exerted on Ukrainian nuclear workers, and makes clear reference to the Russian military occupation.
Zelenskyy noted that this is good.
Background:
- Russian forces seized the ZNPP on 4 March, creating risks of a radiation disaster. In mid-March, the occupiers detonated some munitions at the ZNPP.
- On 15 July, Ukraine's Energoatom reported that the Russians were installing missile systems at the ZNPP, which they were using to fire on the Nikopol district.
- On 1 September, a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived at the ZNPP in occupied Enerhodar.
- On 5 September, four of the six members of the IAEA mission completed their work and left the ZNPP, with two representatives of the organisation remaining at the plant.
- The IAEA released a report on Tuesday regarding radiation safety in Ukraine, which included data on the mission's visit to the ZNPP.
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