Russia-Ukraine war live updates: G-7 pledges ‘steadfast’ commitment to Kyiv; missile strikes reported across Ukraine
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in St. Petersburg as part of “efforts to prevent a nuclear accident during the current military conflict in Ukraine,” the IAEA said. Grossi visited Ukraine to meet with its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, last week.
“Now more than ever, during these extremely difficult times, a protection zone must be established around the ZNPP,” Grossi said in an IAEA statement released Tuesday, referring to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southeastern Ukraine. “We can’t afford to lose any more time. The stakes are high.” The agency chief has been “engaging in intense consultations” with both sides in recent weeks to agree to implement the protection zone amid shelling at and around the nuclear plant.
