Ukraine's Energoatom says IAEA director general cannot visit Zaporizhzhya NPP 'until it is fully liberated'

MOSCOW/BERLIN. June 7 (Interfax) - Ukraine has rejected International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi's request to visit the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) until "it is fully liberated", the Ukrainian media said on Tuesday, citing the Energoatom national nuclear energy company of Ukraine.

"The Ukrainian side did not invite Grossi to visit to Zaporizhzhya NPP and previously declined his request to pay such a visit, stressing that a visit to the station will become possible only when control over it is returned to our country," Energoatom said on Telegram on Tuesday.

It was reported the day before that the IAEA was working on sending a group of international experts to the Zaporizhzhya NPP.

"We are developing the modalities to dispatch such a mission," Grossi said in a statement he made at a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, as published by the IAEA.

"I have repeatedly expressed my grave concern at the extremely stressful and challenging working conditions under which Ukrainian management and staff are operating the plant," he said.

An IAEA-led international mission should be dispatched to the Zaporizhzhya NPP "to carry out essential nuclear safety, security and safeguards work at the site," he said.

Grossi said at a press conference in Vienna later that "support of the UN" was needed to arrange such a mission. The IAEA is touch with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on this issue, Grossi said, expressing hope that he would be able to report positive news on it in the coming days.

Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov had said at the end of May that the IAEA leadership was in touch with both Russia and Ukraine on a possible visit to the Zaporizhzhya NPP, which is currently under control of Russian forces.

Peskov acknowledged that the organization of such a trip involved some issues. "Naturally, the organization of such a trip requires settling a whole set of logistical and technical issues, such as from what direction to enter it, from which territory, through what checkpoints, on what transport, and so on. None of these details have yet been agreed upon," Peskov said.