MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. There are no and have never been any heavy weapons at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, and inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a mission there can confirm that, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday, echoing the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Commenting on a remark by French President Emmanuel Macron, who announced there was an agreement to remove heavy weapons from the nuclear facility, Peskov said: "I’d like to remind you of President Putin’s words that there have never been and are no heavy weapons at the station itself." "And those IAEA employees who are there day and night can clearly confirm that," he added.

The Kremlin spokesman also lauded cooperation with the IAEA and pledged efforts to continue it.

Earlier on Tuesday, Macron said concrete steps were currently being discussed to remove heavy weapons from the Zaporozhye NPP. "The next few weeks will be decisive in this regard to help protect the [nuclear] power plant," the French leader said ahead of the opening of a conference on assistance for Ukraine. "The objective is very clear - it is that we can have this zone demilitarized," he explained.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has discussed establishing a security zone at the power plant and the agency’s next mission at a Paris meeting with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denis Shmygal.

The Zaporozhye nuclear plant located in the town of Energodar is the largest in Europe. In late February, the Zaporozhye facility was placed under the Russian army’s control. The plant continued to operate normally. An IAEA mission led by Grossi visited it in early September. After the delegation left the site, the agency’s staff remained there as observers. Later, the IAEA published a report calling for the creation of a safety zone around the plant to prevent emergencies due to hostilities.