IAEA, Russian officials discuss inspection at Ukraine's occupied NPP

The heads of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Russian state nuclear energy agency Rosatom met on Aug. 24 in Türkiye’s Istanbul to discuss a proposed inspection of the embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

"Important technical discussions today in Istanbul on the IAEA's imminent mission to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant," IAEA head Rafael Grossi wrote on Twitter, sharing an image from the meeting with Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev, per Daily Sabah.

On its website, Rosatom said the Russian side would provide logistical support for the expert mission "as soon as the military situation on-site allows it."

An IAEA mission to check on the sprawling plant's critical safety and control systems is supported in principle by all sides.

But it has not yet received the final approval from the warring parties amid disagreement over the mission's details, including the route the experts will take.

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the plant, raising fears of a catastrophe. Russian forces have occupied Zaporizhzhya since March, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, but attacks near the site have escalated in recent weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile on Aug. 24 proposed that Russia transfer control of the embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to IAEA.

An IAEA expert mission should take control of the plant "as soon as possible" and permanently, Zelenskyy told the U.N. Security Council by video.

He added that Russia must unconditionally cease its "nuclear blackmail" and completely withdraw from the plant in southern Ukraine.