ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2023) Russia will keep asking for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s support for calls to stop shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) facilities by the Ukrainian forces, Alexey Likhachev, the director general of Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom, said on Thursday.
"We will ask for support (from the IAEA) in stopping the shelling of the infrastructure of the (Zaporizhzhia) nuclear power plant by the Kiev authorities," Likhachev said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2023.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited the ZNPP on Thursday and said that the agency will continue to assess the situation at the facility.
"It is clear that the director general of the IAEA was interested in the events of recent days. The consequences, first of all, of the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Grossi examined the spray pools, the cooling pond ... and made sure that the plant staff ensures the complete safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant even in the conditions of a Ukrainian attack on the (Kakhovka) hydroelectric power plant," Likhachev said, adding that he plans to meet with Grossi after he concludes his trip to the ZNPP.
According to Likhachev, the nuclear facility's safety remains at risks until Kiev agrees to the IAEA's safety proposals, adding that the shelling can start at any moment as Ukraine "does what it wants."
