Putin Receives Grossi (IAEA): Nuclear Cooperation Intensifies

Russia and the UN Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to intensify bilateral cooperation on a number of nuclear safety issues. This is the main outcome of the meetings in Russia of IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, who was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the presidential residence Bocharov Ruchey in Sochi.

At the beginning of the talks, Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to do “everything” to ensure the safety of nuclear power-related facilities and industries, while Moscow remains ready to cooperate closely with the IAEA “in all areas.” The president said Russia is very grateful to this specialized UN agency for the dialogue “that does not stop no matter what” and for measures “aimed at strengthening cooperation with Russia.” Putin also said that Russia is ready to “share” the results of research and the work of its scientific centers in the field of nuclear energy “with all interested partners.”

In turn, Grossi thanked the Russian leader for his readiness to discuss all pressing issues, from the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Iran’s nuclear program. “It’s really important for me to be here. Our first conversation took place in St. Petersburg a year and a half ago, it was an important meeting. I think everything that has happened since then shows once again the timeliness of this conversation,” the IAEA director said. According to him, “there are many challenges, many sensitive issues that need urgent analysis at this time.”

According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the meeting between Putin and Grossi “lasted about an hour and was very constructive.”

Before the summit, Grossi had a long conversation with Alexei Likhachev, director general of Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom. Then an extended meeting was held, attended by Alexander Trembitsky, Director of the Federal Service for Technological Supervision (Rostechnadzor), and Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN organizations in Vienna. Rosatom said in a press release that “the parties analyzed a wide range of issues, including promising directions for the development of nuclear power in Russia and in the world.”

Likhachev explained to Grossi the measures taken by the Russian side to ensure the safe operation of Zaporizhzhia NPP. They discussed some important aspects of the IAEA presence at the site, controlled since 2022 by the Russian military, and the interaction of Russian personnel with IAEA observers working there. The nuclear power plant was built by the USSR in the 1980s. Grossi informed the Russian side about the results of his recent visit to Zaporizhzhia NPP on February 7. Back then, visited the engine room and control room of the fourth reactor, as well as the power and water supply systems of the nuclear power plant. “The parties confirmed their desire to keep in touch,” Likhachev emphasized, praising the work “being done by the IAEA at the site.” He added that the physical presence of the agency’s mission “contributes to the safer existence of the nuclear power plant.” For his part, Grossi defined the talks held in Russia as “very intensive and constructive.” He emphasized that Russia and the IAEA “share a common position on the safe use of nuclear technologies.”