UN atomic chief pursues Ukraine nuclear plant security deal

By ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

DNIPRO, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s atomic energy watchdog has returned to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. He said he is working on a plan to protect Europe’s largest nuclear power facility itself, rather than the surrounding area. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi crossed the war’s front lines for a second time to reach the plant Wednesday. It is located in a partially Russia-occupied part of Ukraine where combat has intensified. The IAEA has a team permanently based at the plant. Grossi told The Associated Press Tuesday he feels it’s his duty to ramp up talks between Kyiv and Moscow aimed at safeguarding the facility and avoiding a a catastrophic accident.