Russia Welcomes IAEA Plans for Permanent Presence at Zaporozhye NPP

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Russia welcomes the plans of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to establish a permanent mission of specialists at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP), Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said on Wednesday.

"The IAEA Director General Mr. Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed today his plans to establish permanent presence of Agency’s specialists at the ZNPP. Russia welcomes this intention," Ulyanov said on Telegram.

Later in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Russia is looking into this possibility.

"Let us first see the results [of the IAEA visit]. But this possibility is not ruled out, the issue is being negotiated," Rudenko told journalists.

The IAEA mission resumed their trip to the NPP after a one-day stop in Kiev on Tuesday, where they held a number of bilateral meetings with the Ukrainian authorities at various levels, Ulyanov added.

On Tuesday, Ulyanov told Sputnik that the mission is headed by Grossi and consists of about a dozen IAEA experts who deal with the issues of safeguards and nuclear safety, and are accompanied by a large team of the UN staff dealing with logistics and security.

The Zaporizhzhia NPP, located on the left bank of the Dnieper River near Energodar, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe in terms of the number of units and output. During a military operation in Ukraine, launched by Russian on February 24, the nuclear plant and surrounding fell under control by the Russian forces.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the city of Energodar, nearby villages and the Zaporozhye NPP have recently been a target of intensive shelling by Ukrainian forces. Kiev, in turn, has blamed Russia for the shelling.

The situation around the Zaporozhye NPP raises international concerns over a possible nuclear disaster.