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IAEA chief says agrees on mechanism to ensure safety of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities

The IAEA’s assistance in the delivery of technical equipment for monitoring radiation levels in Ukraine has already begun, Rafael Grossi revealed

VIENNA, April 1. /TASS/. The IAEA has agreed separately with Ukraine and Russia on a framework mechanism to guarantee the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities with respect to the Russian military operation, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said on Friday in Vienna.

"I do have an agreement," Grossi told journalists. "But the difference is that we have agreed separately with Russia and with Ukraine," he added.

According to Grossi, the IAEA’s assistance in the delivery of technical equipment for monitoring radiation levels in Ukraine has already begun, but the core support set will be provided from next week. As he pointed out, assistance to Ukraine includes several aspects: from the delivery of portable equipment for measuring radiation to the presence of agency experts at Ukrainian nuclear facilities. "We have agreed about that as well. There are number of logistical considerations," Grossi maintained. In particular, he specified that the arrival of IAEA experts will depend on the situation at each individual facility.

"Quite importantly, we agreed to have a rapid assistance mechanism which means that in case, and hopefully this won’t be happening, in case there was a situation and emergency that may be taking place, we are setting up a mechanism whereby we could be sending a team to assess and to assist almost immediately," Grossi assured.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi visited Ukraine on March 29-31 to launch the agency’s mission to ensure the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities with respect to Russia’s military operation. The IAEA previously developed a specific plan to support Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.

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