Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Albania^*, Ukraine^*, the Republic of Moldova^*, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia, Iceland⁺, Liechtenstein⁺ and Norway⁺.

It has been one year since the Russian Federation launched its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, causing immense human suffering to millions and destruction of civilian infrastructure, and putting nuclear safety and security at grave risk. The EU continues to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, Russia’s unlawful, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. It is a flagrant violation of international law, notably the UN Charter, and undermines international peace and security.

Regrettably, the Russian Federation has shown no sign of complying with the three resolutions adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors in 2022, or the previous consensus resolutions of the IAEA General Conference which state that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency”.

As reported by the IAEA Director General and I quote: “Shelling, air attacks, reduced staffing levels, difficult working conditions, frequent losses of off-site power, disruption to the supply chain and the unavailability of spare parts, as well as deviations from planned activities and normal operations, have impacted each nuclear facility and many activities involving radioactive sources in Ukraine. The reliability of the national power infrastructure necessary for the safe and secure operation of the nuclear facilities has also been affected and, for the first time since the start of the armed conflict, all NPP sites, including Chornobyl, simultaneously suffered a loss of off-site power on 23 November 2022 [end of quote]”.

In short, each of the “seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security in an armed conflict”, advanced by the Director General last year  has been compromised as a result of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. Many near-miss incidents have taken place. A nuclear accident with all its radiological consequences could so far be avoided, largely thanks to the resilience and dedication of the Ukrainian operating staff. The Russian Federation must stop pressuring the Ukrainian staff. They are working in increasingly small numbers and under high stress to maintain the safety and security of the ZNPP.

The EU and its Member States will never recognise Russia’s attempted illegal seizure of the ZNPP. We strongly call on Russia to withdraw its military equipment and all personnel, including that of ROSATOM from the ZNPP, and return its full control to its rightful owner, Ukraine.

The EU fully supports the IAEA’s work to assist Ukraine in maintaining nuclear safety and security, and to implement safeguards pursuant to Ukraine’s safeguards obligations. We stress the importance of the IAEA’s continued presence at all Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, which was achieved in January, with financial support from the EU and its Member States. We support the Director General’s efforts to ensure a regular rotation of IAEA experts to all nuclear sites and express concern over the month-long delay in the latest rotation of the IAEA team to and from the ZNPP. We also continue to support the IAEA Director General’s efforts to reach agreement on the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP, in full respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty. We welcome the ongoing IAEA review to investigate potential challenges in the application of the Agency safety standards and nuclear security guidance in armed conflict situations in order to determine whether there is a need for changes or additional guidance.

Furthermore, we recall our previous statements on the need to consider new legally binding international rules specifically prohibiting armed attacks against nuclear installations devoted to peaceful purposes.

Since the start of the war, the EU has provided Ukraine with nearly €53 million in nuclear safety related assistance of which €5.6 million is channelled through the IAEA. This does not include nuclear safety and security assistance provided by EU Member States bilaterally or through the IAEA. We encourage further information sharing and donor coordination to maximise the synergies between various assistance activities.

Chair,

Once again, the EU urges the Russian Federation to immediately stop its war of aggression against Ukraine, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its armed forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, and fully respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.

Last spring, the EU took the following measures in response to the Russian Federation’s illegal actions: No EU funding will be provided to IAEA projects directly benefitting Russia or Belarus, and no EU experts will participate in IAEA meetings taking place in Russia or Belarus. We would encourage the IAEA Secretariat not to invite high-level Russian representatives to IAEA-sponsored events. We encourage all IAEA Member States to follow a similar approach and scrutinise their respective projects and activities in order to avoid entering into cooperation with those who grossly violate international law. The aggressor is being isolated from the community of law-abiding countries and must be held accountable.

The EU stands with Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Thank you, Chair.

* Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, as well as potential Candidate Country Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+ Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are members of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.