Kyiv [Ukraine], March 28 : Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelenskyy on Monday met the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief, Rafael Grossi and discussed the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Al Jazeera reported.
Informing of the meeting with Rossi, Zelenskyy took to his Twitter and wrote, "Met with @rafaelmgrossi to discuss the security of our energy industry & nuclear plants. Primarily, the ZNPP still used by Russia for radiation blackmail of the world. The longer Russia occupies the ZNPP, the greater will be the threat to the security of Ukraine, Europe & the world."
During the discussions, the Ukrainian President also raised the issue of safety concerns regarding the nuclear power plant and added that it could not be guaranteed as of now due to the escalation in tensions between Kyiv and Moscow.
According to comments on Zelenskyy's official website, Al Jazeera reported that Zelenskyy told Grossi that the workers at the Zaporizhzhia factory were always under pressure from the Russian occupying forces, who he claimed were disregarding safety regulations and interfering with technological procedures.
"Holding a nuclear power station hostage for more than a year this is surely the worst thing that has ever happened in the history of European or worldwide nuclear power," Zelenskyy said later in his nightly video address, according to Al Jazeera.
Located on the left bank of the Dnipro River, the ZNPP is Europe's largest nuclear power plant by the number of units and output.
After the start of the Ukraine conflict in February last year, the station and surrounding area went under the control of the Russian forces and have since been shelled multiple times. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the attacks.
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