Russia is prepared to discuss with the United States the question of American presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant within the framework of resolving the situation in Ukraine – stated Aleksandr Likhachev, CEO of the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, on Wednesday to the Interfax news agency.
“If the country’s leadership makes a political decision, we are ready to discuss this with the American side,” Likhachev replied to the news agency’s question.
Interfax recalled that on Monday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow had not received from Washington any proposal concerning the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its possible joint American-Ukrainian management.
“No, we have not received such a proposal, and if we do, we will explain that the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant falls under the competence of the Russian state company Rosatom, under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff, who are continuously present on site and carry out monitoring,” Lavrov said in an interview with the American CBS television.
The Zaporizhzhia plant is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Strikes directly on the facility’s territory were last recorded on 5 January. The city centre of neighbouring Enerhodar was also attacked on Thursday by the Ukrainian armed forces with helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles, according to Mayor Maksim Pukhov.
