The IAEA has postponed the rotation of its mission at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant due to the lack of security guarantees from Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has urged the world to support the Agency, whose leadership is under unprecedented pressure from the aggressor state.
This was stated in a comment by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhiy Tykhyi.
"In the absence of security guarantees from Russia, the IAEA has been forced to postpone the rotation of its mission at the Zaporizhzhia NPP," said Tykhyi.
He pointed out that the Kremlin has repeatedly used blackmail as a tool to intimidate international experts and undermine their independence.
"For instance, one of the previous rotations saw Russia striking an IAEA vehicle with a drone," the spokesperson reminded.
According to him, Moscow has at least two reasons for pressuring the independence of the IAEA: first, to forcibly impose international recognition of the illegal occupation of the Ukrainian nuclear plant, and second, to manipulate the operational situation in the area around the station.
Tykhyi emphasized that Ukraine highly appreciates the IAEA’s work in these unprecedented security conditions.
"We will not allow Russia to undermine the Agency’s independence and impartiality in order to achieve its criminal goals. We urge the international community to stand firmly in support of the IAEA and to strongly condemn the ongoing unprecedented pressure that the aggressor state continues to exert on its authority," stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tykhyi once again reminded that Russia’s occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is illegal and poses a serious nuclear incident threat.
"This is an unprecedented case of an aggressor occupying a nuclear power plant, which is the largest in Europe, and turning it into a military base. Only the return of the plant to its rightful owner, Ukraine, will allow to restore nuclear safety and security in line with IAEA norms and standards," he stressed.
