The international community must unite to ensure global energy security. This was stated by Minister of Energy of Ukraine German Galushchenko during a meeting with representatives of EU member states at the IAEA in Vienna (Austria), where the regular meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors is taking place.

The Minister reminded that last week marked three years since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while this week marked three years of occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia NPP. During this time, he noted, Ukraine had faced unprecedented challenges to nuclear and radiation safety in its history. Ukraine is grateful to all EU countries for their continued support and assistance, but the threats to nuclear safety, in particular at ZNPP, remain unchanged, and the situation continues to be unstable and dangerous.

“It is important to take all necessary measures to prevent ZNPP from resuming operation under russian control. We must ensure that the precedent of seizing and illegally holding a nuclear power plant will never be repeated in any country. And that the country that did it will not go unpunished,” stressed German Galushchenko.

The participants of the meeting discussed the precedent of illegal rotation at ZNPP. It was emphasised that the issue of preventing such a recurrence should be resolved before the next rotation.

The parties also discussed the shelling of infrastructure critical to nuclear energy, with special attention paid to another international crime and act of nuclear terrorism by russia – the attack on the New Safe Confinement arch at the Chornobyl NPP. Currently, the protective function of the arch has been compromised, which increases the risk of radioactive contamination.

According to the Minister, Ukraine strongly condemns this act of aggression and calls on its EU partners to support the dissemination of information about the scale and consequences of this act and to take decisive measures to unite international efforts to overcome its consequences.