IAEA says to strengthen presence in all nuclear plants in Ukraine

KYIV - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will strengthen its presence at all nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Ukraine, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said Tuesday.

"The IAEA will strengthen its presence in all Ukraine's NPPs to protect its energy infrastructure," Grossi tweeted after his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Bucharest, Romania.

Grossi said he continues working with Kuleba toward the urgent establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

Separately, Kuleba tweeted that the security of the Ukrainian personnel, who work at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, was also discussed at the talks.

The minister said that during the conversation with Grossi he reiterated the need for Russia's forces withdrawal from the Zaporizhzhia NPP, one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe, which has been under the control of Russian forces since March.

Grossi and Kuleba held their talks during the meeting of the foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Bucharest.

Out of five nuclear power plants in Ukraine four are operational. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which witnessed a nuclear disaster on April 26, 1988, was completely shut down on Dec 15, 2000.