In a joint statement on Sunday, dozens of countries and the European Union called for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in occupied southern Ukraine.
"The deployment of Russian military personnel and weapons at the nuclear facility is unacceptable and disregards the security and defense principles to which all IAEA member states are committed," the document said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the specialized organization of the UN that monitors compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The petition was signed by the European Union, the United States, Great Britain, Norway, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and many other countries.
"We call on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces and other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and its immediate surroundings, as well as from all of Ukraine, so that the plant's operator and the Ukrainian authorities can resume their sovereign duties within Ukraine's internationally recognized borders."
"This will enable the IAEA to continue monitoring the fulfillment of Ukraine's nuclear safety tasks under undisturbed and safe conditions and according to the set schedule," the announcement states.
On Sunday, the town of Enerhodar, which is home to the workers of Europe's largest nuclear power plant and is located close to the facility, was again attacked by artillery, and the parties once again blamed each other for the attack.
IAEA experts are supposed to inspect the facility, which has been in Russian hands since March, but the UN, Russia and Ukraine cannot agree on planning the visit.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, called on the UN on Sunday to intervene to ensure the integrity of the power plant.
According to press reports, the UN has not yet allowed Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, to travel to the site, not only for security reasons, but also because of the dispute over the itinerary.
Grossi could travel under Russian protection through the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine, annexed by Moscow in 2014, but this would be considered an insult in the eyes of Kiev.
