Chair,

I have the honour to deliver this joint statement on behalf of the following x delegations:

Our delegations reaffirm our full support for the Agency’s ongoing efforts to help maintain nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, despite extremely challenging circumstances. We welcome the Agency’s continued physical presence at Ukraine’s five nuclear sites, including the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) as well as its nuclear safety and security missions at relevant electrical substations.

Chair,

Russia’s continued control of Ukraine’s ZNPP, including the presence of armed troops and military equipment, as reported by the Agency, compromises the DG’s “seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security in an armed conflict” and puts the implementation of the five concrete principles for protecting ZNPP at risk. It has led to the plant’s ongoing technical degradation and continues to present serious nuclear safety and security risks to the broader region. 

In this context, we reaffirm our view that it is essential that all reactors at ZNPP remain in cold shutdown mode.  As the Director General reports, the current situation at ZNPP with respect to the availability of cooling water, the reliability of off-site power supply, the completion of overdue maintenance, and the availability of spare parts would not support a return of ZNPP to normal operating conditions.

Our delegations firmly reject any attempts to consider the short-term restart of reactors at ZNPP, which would be inconsistent with well-established nuclear safety principles and with the Agency’s understanding as described in the Director General’s reports. Moreover, any attempt by the Russian Federation to restart ZNPP would contradict relevant resolutions of this Board, the IAEA General Conference, and the UN General Assembly and would be wholly unacceptable.

We stress that any restart of the reactors at ZNPP can only take place once the facility has been returned to the legitimate control and oversight of Ukraine’s competent regulatory authority. Any reactor restart must be preceded by thorough demining operations, rigorous repair of all reactors and auxiliary systems, and comprehensive safety inspections leading to an explicit certification from Ukraine’s nuclear regulatory body. The IAEA would also play a critical role in ensuring the plant is safe for restart.

Chair,

We support the continued physical presence of IAEA experts at the ZNPP in full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The safety and security of Agency staff remains of paramount importance. Delays in the completion of the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhia (ISAMZ) rotations are unacceptable and it is imperative that the Russian Federation immediately cease any actions which hinder the timely conduct of ISAMZ rotations and put the safety of Agency staff at risk.

At the same time, we reaffirm that ISAMZ must be granted full, unrestricted, and timely access to all relevant areas and information to fully report on the nuclear safety and security situation at the ZNPP and to undertake vital safeguards activities in line with Ukraine’s legal safeguards obligations. We remain concerned by the DG’s reporting that ISAMZ has continued to be prevented from accessing key areas at ZNPP, including the western part of turbine halls.

Chair,

In line with previous resolutions of the IAEA Board and General Conference, we call on Russia to remove all unauthorized military and other personnel from Ukraine’s ZNPP and for the plant to be returned to the full control of the competent Ukrainian regulatory authorities.

We also urge all IAEA Member States to offer continued political, financial, technical, and in-kind support to the IAEA comprehensive programme of technical support and assistance to Ukraine. This includes ensuring the continued presence of IAEA experts at Ukrainian nuclear sites and strengthening the IAEA’s capacity to provide real-time, fact-based, and impartial assessments of the nuclear safety and security situation.

In conclusion, we express our continued gratitude to and support for the IAEA in its continuous and tireless efforts to upholding nuclear safety, security, and safeguards implementation in Ukraine amidst extremely challenging circumstances. Thank you.