Russia slams 'unacceptable' remarks by UN nuclear watchdog about 'freezing' Ukraine's conflict

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed on Thursday the "unacceptable" remarks about freezing the conflict in Ukraine made by Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog.

The ministry said in a statement that making forecasts about the future of the conflict falls out of the scope of Grossi’s authority as the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The controversy follows Grossi’s interview with German media on Nov. 13 where he said IAEA representatives "could stay at the NPP until the conflict reaches a frozen stage."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that "it is completely inexplicable on what basis the IAEA leadership undertakes to judge the prospects of the so-called 'freezing,' which clearly goes beyond its powers.”

Grossi's statement was "outrageous" because it gave the impression that the IAEA secretariat decides on conditions and procedures of the agency's specialists’ presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), according to the ministry.

The diplomatic service emphasized that IAEA experts work at the plant "exclusively with the consent of the Russian government" and "strictly as long as Russia considers their stay there justified."

"The task of the Agency's Secretariat specialists is to record provocations against the plant and its personnel from Ukraine, which continue to be carried out at the present time," it said, noting that the last shelling took place Wednesday.

"We expect that from now on, the director general will correctly state the situation, prevent distortion of the legal basis for the stay of experts from the IAEA Secretariat at the NPP, and also will not go beyond his competence," the ministry stressed.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been under Russia's control since March 2022.​​​​​​​