The UN atomic watchdogs director arrives in Russia for talks on nuclear safety in Ukraine WSOC TV [Video]

MOSCOW — (AP) — The U.N. atomic watchdog agency’s director has arrived in Russia for talks on nuclear safety in Ukraine, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is at risk amid fighting.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed alarm about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The plant has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and seized the facility shortly after.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi arrived at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday evening, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. Grossi announced the trip on Monday, the first day of a regular meeting of the agency’s 35-nation board of governors in Vienna.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russian President …