IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 7: Nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine
10 September 2026
Statement delivered by Charlotte East, Alternate Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Chair
Australia welcomes the Director General’s report on nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine. The report finds that nuclear safety and security risks across Ukraine continue to expand as a result of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It finds the Seven Pillars remain compromised, either fully or partially, at all five of Ukraine’s nuclear sites. Furthermore, restrictions at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) continue to limit the Agency’s ability to assess nuclear safety and security at the site and observance of the Five Principles.
Australia is deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries sustained by personnel at the ZNPP and gravely concerned by the increasing impact on those responsible for maintaining nuclear safety and security across Ukraine.
Australia continues to monitor the deteriorating nuclear safety and security conditions at Ukraine’s ZNPP which is being driven by intensified military activity near the site. We welcome the recent IAEA-brokered localized ceasefire that has enabled power line repairs necessary for the restoration of off-site power to the Zaporizhzhya NPP after a long outage. However ZNPP remains dependent on emergency diesel generators to support essential nuclear safety systems. This situation underscores the continuing vulnerability of the infrastructure and human resources that underpin nuclear safety.
Australia notes the Agency's growing role in facilitating infrastructure repairs and fuel movements across Ukraine whilst its personnel face increasing personal risks. Air raid alerts and drone activity across a number of nuclear sites in Ukraine have required IAEA team members to take shelter. This highlights the challenging conditions under which the Agency continues to fulfil its mandate.
We echo Director General Grossi’s call for all parties to ensure nuclear facility workers are protected at all times. The safety and security of nuclear installations depends not only on physical systems, but also on the ability of skilled personnel to perform their duties free from attack, coercion and intimidation.
These risks are the direct result of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We reiterate that the most effective protection for Ukraine’s nuclear sites is the immediate and complete withdrawal of all Russian military and unauthorised personnel, and the full return of all nuclear facilities to Ukrainian control.
We reaffirm our full support for the IAEA’s continued presence in Ukraine, for the Board’s resolutions on Ukraine, and for the Agency’s independent, impartial and fact-based reporting on the situation at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities. With these comments, we note the Director General’s report and request it be made public.
Thank you Chair.