The head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi informed that the Agency is no longer considering the possibility of creating a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia NPP. According to him, this will bring additional difficulties.
He stated this during a conversation at the American Non-Governmental Council on International Relations.
"The creation of a demilitarized zone around the nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia will bring additional difficulties. For example, it will be extremely difficult to carry out the verification process — one mile from the demilitarized zone, the territory will be extremely militarized. Therefore, we are no longer considering this option," Grossi noted.
According to him, it is about the cessation of hostilities around the nuclear power plant.
Russia was satisfied with Grossiʼs statements. The adviser to the head of the Rosenergoatom concern Renat Karchaa said that the topic of demilitarization was "imposed" on Russia in order to weaken its position.
- At the beginning of March, the Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko declared on the air of a telethon that the negotiations on the return of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control had reached an impasse. According to him, the position of Ukraine, which is voiced on all international platforms, is based on the demilitarization of the station, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and representatives of Rosatom from there, as well as on the creation of a safe environment for the work of personnel. Instead, the Russians issued a decree that the ZNPP is a "federal" property that is registered in Moscow under the name "Zaporizhzhia Station".
- The situation at the ZNPP has been in the spotlight since the beginning of August, when the Russian military began shelling the plant. Russia has rejected calls to demilitarize the nuclear plant under the pretext of "protecting it" from provocations, and blames Ukraine for the shelling.
- After a brief mission at the ZNPP, IAEA experts presented a report confirming that Russia had stationed military personnel, vehicles and equipment in various locations at the plant. Since then, the director general of the agency Rafael Grossi has been conducting negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow on the creation of a nuclear safety zone around the station.