The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation noted that there is "no doubt about Moscow's commitment to the safety of the NPP and there can be no doubt"MOSCOW, May 24.
/tass/. Kiev is not ready to take steps to prevent the shelling of the Zaporozhye NPP and attacks on adjacent territories, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Wednesday. At the same time, he added that there is "no doubt about Moscow's commitment to the safety of the NPP and there can be no doubt."
"The question for Kiev is whether it is ready to take steps to prevent the shelling of this facility, attacks on adjacent territories, the city of Energodar, or not ready? In my opinion, the answer to this question is negative. <...> There is and cannot be any reason to doubt our commitment to ensuring the guaranteed nuclear safety of the NPP," he said.
The deputy minister added that there should be no "destructive behavior" in the issue of sustainable power supply to the plant. "We are bringing all this to the leadership of the IAEA secretariat, and we expect to continue doing this," he stressed.
Ryabkov said that Russia is in constant contact with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi on issues related to his initiative on the safety of the NPP. "The [Grossi] plan has undergone a number of evolutionary changes, since last year it took the form of a draft trilateral agreement, then a bilateral agreement, <...> we are in contact with Grossi at all these segments," he said.
However, the high-ranking diplomat called on the IAEA secretariat not to "hide behind the wording" on the safety of the NPP, but to "clearly fix that the station should not be shelled."
"Now, based on the results of all discussions, consultations and contacts, Grossi is focused on presenting its principles for strengthening safety, ensuring nuclear safety of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe by making public that approach," Ryabkov said. "Until now, for obvious reasons, this topic has not really figured in the public space, in recent days it has become more prominent," he noted.
The Deputy Minister also said that the applicability of the Grossi plan for the NPP will depend on the actions of Kiev and the West.
Reuters previously informed that Grossi may submit to the UN Security Council by the end of May a draft agreement with the participation of Ukraine and Russia to ensure the safety of the Zaporozhye NPP. Now the meeting on this topic is not listed in the schedule of the Security Council. Switzerland, as the Chairman of the UN Security Council, can make a decision on this matter in May.
The NPP is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. At the end of February 2022, the facility was taken under control by Russian forces. In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on the acceptance of the Zaporizhia NPP into federal ownership and instructed the government to create a federal state unitary enterprise "Zaporizhia NPP" to ensure the safety of its facilities.