No solution regarding U.S. nuclear fuel at ZNPP can be found without Russia-U.S. dialogue - Russian Deputy FM Ryabkov

SOCHI. June 10 (Interfax) - It would be impossible to find a solution to the problem of U.S. nuclear fuel presence at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) without a dialogue between Moscow and Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

"The ZNPP is a Russian nuclear facility completely managed by Rosatom's personnel and its structures. As far as I understand, Rosatom's general director has said that, given the circumstances, namely the long period of attempts to replace Russian-made fuel elements by American ones at that facility, this poses a number of questions, including legal ones, as to what is to be done with fresh American fuel at that facility," Ryabkov told journalists in Sochi.

"Hence, without a dialogue with the Americans, it would be objectively impossible to find a solution, which is a fact obvious to everyone. As concerns someone's presence or absence, this is a matter of secondary importance, it's technical and shouldn't be politicized. Everything depends here on what the plant's operator and the Rosatom management consider right from the practical standpoint," Ryabkov said. He was asked, in particular, whether Moscow could admit U.S. specialists to the ZNPP to decide on the future of American nuclear fuel there.