KYIV, Ukraine: A drone hit and severely damaged an official vehicle of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the road to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Tuesday, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said.
There were no victims and the teams are safe, said Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“I condemn in the most firm terms this attack on the IAEA staff,” Grossi said. “We call, once again, as we have done it before, for the utmost restraint.”
Grossi said attacking a nuclear power plant is a no-go and attacking those working to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict is “even more unacceptable.”
A drone hit and severely damaged an official vehicle of the IAEA on the road to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant today, in what @RafaelMGrossi condemned as an "unacceptable" attack on Agency staff working to prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict. pic.twitter.com/XsqImDjISF
— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) December 10, 2024
Zaporizhzhia is one of the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022.
Moscow has made steady gains across the eastern front line in recent months, including on Tuesday, when the Russian defence ministry said it had captured the village of Zhovte near the Kyiv-held supply hub of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine Seeking Western Allies’ Support
Ukraine has been asking for more support from its western allies to help it fend off Russian troops on the battlefield and daily aerial attacks.
Zelensky reiterated that call after the strike on Zaporizhzhia.
“Each of these strikes proves that we need to enhance our air defence capabilities,” he said.
“This matter depends entirely on political decisions: decisions by the US administration, European leaders and other partners around the world.”
Zelensky Seeks Diplomatic End to War
Zelenskiy made the case on Monday for a diplomatic settlement to Russia’s war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the NATO military alliance.
The remarks at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kyiv’s increasing openness to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing to return to the White House on January 20.
The US president-elect, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the “madness”, after he met Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.
“Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. No doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We do seek it,” Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.
Zelenskiy’s spokesperson Serhiy Nikiforov said later that Kyiv was preparing a December meeting of key European partners who together with the US were “capable of ensuring the maximum strengthening of our state”.
The aim was to develop a joint position that would hold strong both in negotiations and on the battlefield, he added.
Zelenskiy said he had discussed a “freezing” of the lines in the war when he met Macron and Trump. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukrainian territory after launching the 2022 military operation.
