On Tuesday, 15 September, the Ukrainian delegation, including Serhii Tarakanov, Director General of Chornobyl NPP, held a bilateral meeting with Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA as part of the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the situation at the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, as well as further cooperation in the field of nuclear safety and security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities. Particular attention was paid to the challenges currently facing the Chornobyl NPP. These include regular overflights of attack drones and missile strikes in the immediate vicinity of nuclear facilities, posing a direct threat of a disaster on a continental scale.

Another urgent issue is the restoration of the New Safe Confinement, which was damaged during the russian attack in February 2025. The New Safe Confinement encloses the Shelter object and the destroyed fourth power unit of the Chornobyl NPP, which remains one of the most dangerous nuclear facilities in the world. In this context, Rafael Grossi emphasised that the IAEA would make every effort to restore the NSC and highlighted the United States’ recent voluntary contribution of $51 million to the IAEA for the implementation of the Confinement restoration project, which is being implemented in coordination with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This contribution forms part of the funding of up to $100 million announced by the United States in April 2026.

The IAEA Director General also highly commended the Ukrainian exhibition stand dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident. This important information and educational project, organised as part of the 70th IAEA General Conference, will help visitors to the event gain a better understanding of the processes underway to address the consequences of the disaster that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chornobyl NPP.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr Grossi and the entire IAEA team for their attention to the urgent safety issues at the ChNPP amidst a full-scale war, and for their unwavering support for our nuclear safety. The IAEA monitoring mission is permanently stationed at the Chornobyl NPP, tracking all developments around the plant’s industrial site.

The safety of Chornobyl is a shared global responsibility, and we value the IAEA’s leadership in this endeavour. We call on the Agency to use the full extent of its international mandate, authority and political influence to compel russia to immediately cease any military provocations and other actions that threaten Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.

A key priority for us is the restoration and long-term safety of the New Safe Confinement. We look forward to continued technical, expert and coordination cooperation with the IAEA to eliminate all risks and consequences of the damage to the NSC. We are therefore grateful for the initiative taken by the Agency’s Director General”, said Serhii Tarakanov.

As a reminder, in April 2026, the US State Department announced its readiness to allocate up to $100 million for the restoration of the New Safe Confinement, which was damaged by russia. The funds are to be allocated from existing resources as part of support for the coordinated efforts of the G7 countries to ensure continued control over nuclear materials at the Chornobyl NPP.