 "Chairperson of International Atomic Energy Agency has called for a board meeting on Thursday after attacks on Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Reuters File")
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, has called for an ’emergency’ meeting between Russia and Ukraine after a series of drone attacks hit one of Europe’s largest nuclear power plants in Zaporizhzhia.
Both Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for drone strikes on one of the six nuclear reactors at the Russian-controlled nuclear plant, inviting staunch condemnation from the IAEA Director Rafael Grossi on Monday.
Grossi warned that such attacks “significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident”. Though all the nuclear plant reactors are shut, it requires constant power to cool them and prevent a potentially disastrous meltdown.
Both warring sides call for emergency meet
The Chairperson of the 35-nation Board of Governors has called for a meeting on Thursday at its Vienna headquarters after both Russia and Ukraine had written to him the previous day requesting a meeting of the board, IAEA said in a note to media.
The note to chairperson also had letters attached, written by both the warring sides stating their purpose for the meeting.
Moscow said it wanted a meeting on “the recent attacks and provocations of the armed forces of Ukraine” against Zaporizhzhia. On the other side, Kyiv demanded to discuss “the situation in Ukraine and the safety, security and safeguards implications”, a Reuters report said.
UN nuclear watchdog calls for truce
Earlier this week, Grossi had called for an immediate ceasefire after the facility’s main reactor was directly hit in a strike, however, he refused to blame either party for the attack in which one worker died.
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More Shorts“This is a clear violation of the basic principles for protecting Europe’s largest (nuclear power plant). Such reckless attacks significantly increase the risk of a major nuclear accident and must cease immediately,” Grossi had said.
On Tuesday, Russia claimed that Ukraine had once again launched drone attacks on the plant for the third consecutive day. In response, Kyiv denied any involvement in such attacks, asserting that any incidents were orchestrated by Moscow.
Zaporizhzhia continues to remain at the centre of the conflict, ever since Russia occupied the nuclear plant during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. IAEA Board has so far passed four resolutions and condemned Russian actions against Ukrainian nuclear facilities.
With input from agencies