WASHINGTON, October 25. /TASS/. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Monday he had thanked the United States for its efforts to establish a security zone at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Comprehensive meeting with [US] Secretary [of State] Blinken today (October 24 - TASS) in Washington DC. I stressed that IAEA safeguards inspectors will visit Ukraine this week and thanked the US for supporting our efforts to establish a Nuclear Safety and Security Protection Zone" at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Grossi wrote on Twitter.

The IAEA director general announced earlier that the Agency was preparing to visit two nuclear locations at Ukraine’s request in coming days.

The Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has been controlled by Russian forces since February 28. The facility has been performing normally ever since. In early September, an IAEA mission led by Grossi visited the power plant. Later, the Agency published a report calling for the establishment of a protection zone around the Zaporozhye NPP in order to prevent a nuclear disaster caused by the ongoing hostilities.