Atomic energy chief to talk about Ukraine nuclear safety in Moscow

Moscow (dpa) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi will speak to Russian officials in Moscow this week about nuclear power plant safety in Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

There is continued tension surrounding the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia.

Grossi is expected to meet representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax.

A meeting between Grossi and Russian President Vladimir Putin is not on the agenda.

Grossi met Russian officials in Moscow in December. The IAEA is demanding that there be a security zone around the nuclear power plant. Grossi's plan stipulates that both sides stop shelling the nuclear facility.

The agency also wants Russia, which has occupied the power plant site as part of its almost year-long war against Ukraine, to withdraw heavy weapons from the site.

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