Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the repeated bombings, some of which have grazed the plant. It was taken over by Russian forces shortly after they invaded Ukraine in February, but is still run mainly by Ukrainian technicians.
The UN nuclear watchdog will visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine within days if talks to gain access are successful, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I continue to consult very actively and intensively with all parties,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement quoted by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The mission (to Zaporizhzhia) is expected to take place in the next few days if the ongoing negotiations are successful.”
Russia fired rockets at towns west of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine early Monday.
Artillery and rocket fire near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor complex on the Russian-occupied southern bank of the Dnipro River has sparked fears of a nuclear disaster and calls for the surrounding area to be demilitarized.
Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the repeated bombings, some of which have grazed the plant. It was taken over by Russian forces shortly after they invaded Ukraine in February, but is still run mostly by Ukrainian technicians.
Last week, United States President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call in which they stressed the importance of ensuring safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine.