IAEA: Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant needs cooperation agreement in event of Ukraine peace

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will need a "special status" and a cooperation agreement between Russia and Ukraine if a peace deal is reached, Report informs via The Guardian.

Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the first weeks of Moscow's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The plant produces no electricity, but each side regularly accuses the other of military actions compromising nuclear safety. Grossi said:

"Whatever side of the line it ends up, you will have to have a cooperative arrangement or a cooperative atmosphere."

Grossi's comments come as US President Donald Trump's administration makes an intense new push to end the war.

US and Ukrainian officials are trying to narrow the gaps between them over a draft peace plan that includes provisions for Zaporizhzhia's future. Without peace, there is danger of a nuclear accident, Grossi said.