US welcomes IAEA trip to besieged nuclear plant in Ukraine

Washington, Aug 30

The US government has welcomed the inspection of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"We fully support the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Grossi's expert mission to the power plant and we are glad that the team is on his way to ascertain the safety, security and safeguards of the systems there, as well as to evaluate the staff's working conditions," said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby.

He called on Russia to allow inspectors "safe and unfettered access" and said a nuclear power plant is not an appropriate place for combat operations, dpa news agency reported.

"In the meantime, we continue to believe that a controlled shutdown of Zhaporizhzhya's nuclear reactors would be the safest and least risky option in the near term," he added.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant with six reactors in southern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian troops since March and repeated shelling has triggered fears of a catastrophic nuclear accident.