Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of 26 European Union Member States. The following countries align with this statement: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino and Ukraine.

We thank the Director General for his report and would like to highlight the following points.

Three years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, putting at risk nuclear safety, security and safeguards implementation in Ukraine.

The EU has repeatedly condemned this war of aggression as a grave violation of international law, notably the UN Charter that prohibits the threat or use of force and calls on all Members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other States. The principles enshrined in the UN Charter are universal, binding and apply anywhere. It is in the interest of all States to uphold them. 

The EU remains gravely concerned about increasing risks to nuclear safety and security which affect all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Most recently, on 14 February 2025, a drone hit the New Safe Confinement at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, resulting in significant damage to the protective shelter, luckily without radiation leakage. There is a great risk that drones or other armaments may hit nuclear sites anytime. For more than three years now, Russia continues its ruthless attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, impairing off-site power supply that is required for reactor cooling and other nuclear safety and security functions. The situation remains particularly fragile at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that Russia has illegally seized. As reported by the IAEA Director General, Russian armed troops and military equipment remain present on site. 

In these extraordinary circumstances, the IAEA continues to play a key role to mitigate nuclear safety and security risks and continue safeguards implementation in accordance with Ukraine’s legal obligations as a non-nuclear weapon State. We attach great importance to continued IAEA presence at all nuclear sites of Ukraine and its monitoring at electrical substations. The Agency must be granted access to all requested locations, information and personnel. The seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security in an armed conflict and the five concrete principles for protecting the ZNPP must be respected. All reactors at the ZNPP must remain in cold shutdown, as ordered by Ukraine’s regulator and requested by the IAEA.

Chair,

We are concerned that the last rotation at the ZNPP was significantly delayed due to Russian obstruction, jeopardising the security of Agency staff on the ground. We acknowledge that ensuring the security of IAEA teams is of paramount importance. In this context, we take note of the Director General’s decision to exceptionally conduct the rotation of the IAEA mission at the ZNPP via a different route. We see this decision as an exceptional measure and understand that the evacuation of the team was based on a duty of care for IAEA staff.

We encourage the Agency to continue engaging in consultations to guarantee the security of IAEA teams and to identify arrangements to ensure safe rotations, in full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We reiterate our full support for the continued physical presence of IAEA experts at the ZNPP that will help prevent a nuclear accident. We insist that the IAEA mission be granted full and unrestricted access to the ZNPP and all requested locations, information and personnel there. 

Chair,

The EU’s support for Ukraine remains unwavering. We continue to call for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in accordance with the UN Charter. Once again, we urge Russia to comply with all relevant IAEA and UN General Assembly resolutions, cease its war of aggression and withdraw from Ukraine’s ZNPP and all of Ukraine’s territory within its internationally recognised borders. We call upon all IAEA Member States to defend international law.

Thank you, Chair.