EU Statement on Item 6: Nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine

EU Statement on Item 6: Nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine

Board of Governors
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

Vienna, 02-06.03.2026

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

After four years of war, 2026 must be the year the aggression on Ukraine comes to an end. However, Russia's actions contradict its claims of seeking peace. It weaponizes winter, intensifies its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, puts at risk the safety of Nuclear Power Plants, and ignores all calls from Ukraine and its partners for deescalation.

The upcoming 40th anniversary of the tragic Chornobyl disaster reminds all of us of the responsibility to prevent nuclear accidents and to maintain and continuously improve the highest level of nuclear safety and security. We welcome the intention of the DG to travel to Ukraine on this occasion. Yet, we continue to see one state - Russia - actively undermining nuclear safety and security with its deliberate large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. This is unacceptable and must stop immediately.

Chair,

We thank the Director General for his latest report and for the Agency's continued engagement. We express our serious concern at the findings contained therein. The report confirms that the nuclear safety and security situation in Ukraine remains fragile.

The EU strongly condemns Russia's deliberate large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. These deliberate acts have damaged several substations critical to nuclear safety, violating this Board's resolution adopted on 12 December 2024. The Director General's report again confirms this fact.

Thus, we call on all Members of the Board to support the resolution on nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine. A strong message from this Board is essential to uphold nuclear safety and security.

Russia's repeated attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, including power lines and substations critical for the off-site power supply of nuclear power plants, increase the risk of a nuclear accident at Ukraine's nuclear facilities with potentially severe consequences for Ukraine and beyond. This is clearly stated in the fourth indispensable pillar for nuclear safety and security in armed conflict, namely the need for secure off-site power supply from the grid for all nuclear sites. The EU reiterates its call on Russia to immediately cease all military operations, in particular those targeting Ukraine's energy and other critical infrastructure and urges Russia to abide by the seven indispensable pillars, as outlined by the Director General.

We are grateful for and fully support the Agency's monitoring missions to Ukraine's nuclear sites and their recent visits to substations identified as critical for the safety of nuclear power plants. We are also thankful for the reported findings from these missions. We are deeply concerned by the damage observed and reported by the Agency's teams. This causes further degradation of the stability of the electricity grid and reduces the reliability of external power for the NPPs, heightening the risks in particular to operating NPPs.

It is important that the upcoming 10th Review Meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) in April 2026 addresses all these serious nuclear safety issues in violation of CNS objectives.

Chair,

We also remain concerned by the precarious situation at the ZNPP. The military activities reported by the Agency's monitoring missions continue to put the five principles at great risk. In particular, the repeated total loss of off-site power at the ZNPP and the frequent damage to its power lines clearly demonstrate that the third of the Five Principles was violated. We thank the Director General and the Agency for their continued mediation efforts, which have on several occasions facilitated localised temporary ceasefires allowing the lines to be safely repaired.

Furthermore, we are concerned about the extent of damage to the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant from the strike last year. The EU contributed EUR 432 million to the construction of this facility. As a result of the damage sustained, the NSC has lost its primary safety function. We note that numerous issues have to be addressed to restore the functionality of the NSC to ensure its long-term safety.

Chair,

Last week, the EU together with Ukraine hosted an event on the unlawful detention by Russia of ZNPP employees for refusing to sign Rosatom contracts. Russia's actions directly violate the third indispensable pillar, which requires that operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties free from undue pressure. We call on Russia to release these ZNPP employees without delay and to return control of the ZNPP to its rightful owner - Ukraine.

The EU reiterates its unwavering support for the IAEA's efforts to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety, security and safeguards under these unprecedented circumstances. We commend the dedication and professionalism of the Agency's staff deployed in Ukraine.

We request that the Director General continue to provide regular updates to the Board on nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine, including on the Agency's missions to substations and implications of unstable electrical infrastructure for nuclear safety and security, and to propose additional measures should risks further escalate.

Thank you, Chair.