IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and Rosatom director Alexey Likhachev held talks in Kaliningrad today, following Grossi’s visits to the Zaporozhye and Kursk Nuclear Power Plants. Grossi expressed concern about the damage done to the Zaporozhye NPP (the largest nuclear plant in Europe), though he maintained the IAEA’s position of being unable to take a public position as to who had fired upon the plant. The Russian delegation at the talks included representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Ministry.
Grossi stated: “The times remain very difficult now, and the events that Mr. Likhachev mentioned, in particular the arson of the cooling tower at the Zaporozhye NPP and the alarming situation at the Kursk NPP, clearly make it clear that we cannot relax our attention to the issue of ensuring nuclear safety at nuclear facilities in the relevant regions.” The two agreed that in case of direct threats at the Kursk facility, IAEA inspectors would remain on duty there.
