International Security & Counterterrorism

IAEA making "headway" towards Zaporizhzhya protection zone

U.N. atomic watchdog chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said diplomatic efforts to set up the nuclear safety and security protection zone are progressing and he hopes to soon reach agreement and put the much-needed measures into place.

, and John Heilprin

December 23, 2022 . 8:03 PM

2 min read

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tours the Zaporizhzhia region and Donbas in June (AN/President of Ukraine)

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency reported making progress in his bid to create a protection zone around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Friday that diplomatic efforts to set up the nuclear safety and security protection zone around Zaporizhzhya are making headway, with the aim of reaching an agreement and put the much-needed measure into practice soon.

Grossi spoke after holding what he called "another round of necessary discussions" with Russian government officials in Moscow, including Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russian state nuclear company Rosatom. The IAEA chief also has held talks with senior Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.

“It’s key that the zone focuses solely on preventing a nuclear accident," he said. "I am continuing my efforts towards this goal with a sense of utmost urgency.”