54 delegations IAEA conference call to punish Russia for jeopardizing global nuclear security

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Sept. 11, 2023. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

Fifty-four delegations supported Ukraine's statement that Russia is jeopardizing global nuclear and radiation security at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conference on Nuclear Security in Vienna on May 22, the Energy Ministry reported.

Over 2,000 participants from more than 130 IAEA member states are meeting in Vienna for the conference. The event covers topics on policy, law, and regulations for nuclear security, as well as technology and infrastructure for nuclear security prevention, among other issues.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has repeatedly violated the Seven Indispensable Pillars of Nuclear Safety and Security, additional safety standards developed in March 2022 in accordance with the acting IAEA's regulations.

The same month, Russian forces occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, located on the east bank of the Dnipro River in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

"Russia's willful disregard for international law, its presence, and actions at the Zaporizhzhia plant, as well as attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, continue to endanger Ukraine and the region," the joint statementsaid.

"We call for continued efforts to make Russia responsible for creating threats to nuclear security."

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko called the recent joint statement another step toward "removing Russia from the global atomic technologies sector." The next step should be sanctions against the Russian Federation's nuclear industry, the minister added.

Halushchenko also recalled that Russia must fulfill the requirement of four IAEA Governors Board's resolutions, as well as the resolution of the IAEA 2023 General Conference on Russian troops and unauthorized staff withdrawal from the Zaporizhzhia plant.

The signatory states highlighted the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi's contribution in prevention of a nuclear accident.

The parties also said that Russia's full-scale invasion hinders the IAEA's ability to implement safeguards in Ukraine more effectively.