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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ruled out Wednesday that Ukraine is developing nuclear weapons, as alleged by Russia to justify, among other issues, its invasion of the neighboring country.
“For us, this issue is very clear. We have no information that would call into question Ukraine’s (nuclear) non-proliferation credentials,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told a news conference in Vienna.
“We have no information about any detour of any undeclared material or activities aimed at the development of nuclear weapons (in Ukraine),” the IAEA official said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the Russian military offensive is aimed at disarming Ukraine and preventing it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“We cannot allow the presence of offensive weapons in Ukraine that threaten our security,” the head of Russian diplomacy added, according to the Russian news agency Ria.
The IAEA Board of Governors is holding between today and tomorrow an extraordinary meeting in Vienna focused on the situation of nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian offensive.
Grossi warned Board delegates of the danger of a deliberate or unintentional attack on one of the country’s four nuclear power plants and other atomic facilities, causing a disaster.
At the same time, he qualified by recalling that “Russia has repeated that they have no plans to attack (nuclear) facilities” in Ukraine.
“I am in touch with Russia and this issue is a central part of our talks, and I am convinced that this (an attack) will never happen,” he added.
“Of course, we must be active to ensure that an unintended or accidental problem does not occur and that is always a possibility as long as there is a conflict,” Grossi concluded.
There are four nuclear power plants in Ukraine, with 15 reactors, plus the former Chernobyl plant, scene of the worst atomic accident in history, in 1986.
In the first seven days of the conflict, there have already been several incidents in the vicinity of nuclear facilities, without causing any radiation emissions.
