MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Russia is ready to go ahead with creating a security zone around the Zaporozhye NPP and to discuss emerging issues, the Rosatom corporation’s CEO Alexey Likhachev said at talks with the IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in Moscow on Thursday.

"The discussion focused on ensuring the nuclear and physical nuclear safety of the Zaporozhye NPP," Rosatom’s press-service said. "Likhachev briefed the IAEA director-general on steps that the Russian side was taking to this end. In addition, current and future cooperation between Russia and the IAEA in other areas was touched upon. The parties confirmed the consent to stay in touch," Rosatom’s statement reads.

Likhachev reviewed the measures aimed at ensuring comfortable social and living conditions for ZNPP personnel and their families, the press service said. Rafael Grossi, in turn, spoke about the progress in advancing his initiative to create a nuclear and physical security protection zone at the power plant.

Taking part in the meeting were the head of the technical supervision watchdog Alexander Trembitsky, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Guard’s Main Directorate for the Protection of Facilities Vladimir Mashevsky and the Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Igor Vishnevetsky.

The 6 GW Zaporozhye NPP, located in the city of Enerhodar, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. In March 2022, the facility was taken under control by Russian forces. Since then, the Ukrainian army has systematically shelled both the residential areas of Energodar and the territory of the nuclear plant, using drones, heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.