Here are the latest developments: Putin and Xi to meet: Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet on the sidelines of a summit in Uzbekistan next week, in what will be the first face-to-face between the two leaders since the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. It would also be Xi’s first trip abroad since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, China’s number three leader is expected to meet Putin on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday. IAEA report says safety principles violated at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and calls for safety zone: The agency stressed the urgent need for interim measures “to prevent a nuclear accident resulting from physical damage caused by military means.” To achieve this, the IAEA called for the creation of “a nuclear safety and security buffer zone”. The report added, “The IAEA is ready to immediately begin consultations leading to the urgent establishment of such a nuclear safety and security buffer zone at the (power plant).” The agency says its team saw first-hand the damage the bombing caused to the facility and “notes with concern that the bombing could have affected security-related structures, systems and components and could cause significant impacts on safety, loss of life and injury to personnel.” UN nuclear watchdog saw military vehicles and equipment inside Zaporizhia plant, report says: The International Atomic Energy Agency saw Russian military equipment and personnel inside the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant during its visit to the facility, director-general Rafael Grossi said in a report published on Tuesday. “The team observed the presence of Russian military personnel, vehicles and equipment at various locations at the ZNPP, including several military trucks on the ground floor of the Unit 1 and Unit 2 turbine rooms and military vehicles parked under the overpass connecting the reactor units. ,” according to the report. The IAEA said the presence of military personnel and equipment creates “very difficult conditions” for personnel trying to maintain normal operations at the plant. IAEA warns of possible intervention after team sees Russian nuclear agency unit at Zaporizhia plant: The IAEA said the team it sent to Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant saw a Russian nuclear agency unit at the facility. IAEA inspectors “observe[d] the presence of a team of experts from Rosenergoatom,” which is a unit of the Russian nuclear agency Rosatom, according to a report published on Tuesday. “It was explained to the team by Ukrainian plant staff and managers that the role of this expert team was to provide advice on nuclear safety, security and operations in the management of the (power plant),” the IAEA said. However, “the presence of senior Rosatom technical staff could lead to interference with normal lines of operational command or authority and create potential friction when it comes to decision-making,” according to the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Zelensky called for demilitarization of the nuclear power plant: The Ukrainian President said in his nightly speech on Tuesday: “The [IAEA] The mission, which had visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, presented a documentary summary of its work.” “The report notes the presence of Russian military equipment on NPP territory, highlights pressure on our nuclear workers and makes clear references to Russian military occupation. This is good,” he said. Zelensky added, “Regarding IAEA Director General Grossi’s proposal to create a buffer zone at the plant, we need to consider the specific meaning of this tool: what exactly can be considered buffer? If the point of this proposal is to demilitarize the territory of the nuclear power plant – and that makes sense, because it was the Russian military presence that put the Zaporizhzhia station on the brink of a radioactive disaster – then we can support such a demilitarized protection zone. “
