Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy company, is backing a protection zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant as proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but only under conditions set by Russia.
"We believe that we need it. The parameters are clear and there has been a discussion with IAEA head Rafael Grossi," Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev told the Interfax news agency, outlining his proposals for how the zone would work, including that Ukraine would not be allowed to fire on the zone or to attempt to recover it.
"In return, this is clear, Russia will not station any offensive weapons or forces, but only means for physical protection and monitoring the plant," Likhachev said. He added that all the power lines around the nuclear plant were damaged and that running the reactor down would provide only "relative safety."
Grossi's proposal is that neither side should fire on the plant and that no weapons should be stationed there that could contribute to an attack on it, diplomats in Vienna have informed dpa. Demilitarization around the Zaporizhzhya plant would be difficult to implement and is for that reason not in Grossi's plan.
