UN nuclear watchdog chief in Ukraine to talk safety support

Lviv (Ukraine): The UN nuclear watchdog's director-general on Tuesday arrived in Ukraine for talks with senior government officials on delivering urgent technical assistance to ensure the safety of the country's nuclear facilities, the agency said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Rafael Mariano Grossi's aim was to initiate prompt safety and security support for Ukraine's nuclear sites.

The agency will send IAEA experts to prioritised facilities , which it did not identify, and send vital safety and security supplies , including monitoring and emergency equipment.

It said that Grossi will travel to one of Ukraine's nuclear power plants this week, but did not specify which one.

Ukraine has 15 nuclear reactors at four active power plants, and also is home to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster.

Russian forces have taken control of Chernobyl and of the largest active power plant at Zaporizhzhia.

The IAEA chief has been pressing for weeks for an agreement with Ukraine and Russia on the safety of Ukraine's nuclear power plants.

He met the two countries' foreign ministers in Turkey earlier this month.