IAEA Board of Governors
Agenda item 6: Nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine
10 June 2026
Statement delivered by Mr Mathew Fox, 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 reiterates the devastating impact of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion on Ukraine, and the precarious situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), with some of the seven pillars being fully or partially compromised at all five of Ukraine’s nuclear sites.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law. It has been more than four years since Russia wrongfully took control of Ukraine’s ZNPP.
We are gravely concerned by continued reports of military activities in the vicinity of the ZNPP and Ukraine’s other nuclear sites. Troublingly, the ZNPP’s main 750 kV power line has been disconnected since 24 March, with the plant experiencing multiple total losses of offsite power when the backup line was also disconnected. While we commend the unstinting efforts of the Director General in facilitating negotiations to establish yet another temporary localized ceasefire to enable repairs, this remains an unsustainable situation. We reiterate that the most effective protection for Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure involves an immediate and complete withdrawal of Russian military personnel from Ukraine and the return of all nuclear facilities to Ukrainian control.
We commend the efforts of the IAEA in its recently concluded seventh mission to Ukraine to assess the condition of Ukraine’s critical substations and their implications for nuclear safety at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, as mandated by the Board of Governors in Resolution GOV/2024/73 and the General Conference in Resolution GC(69)/RES/14. As these substations are essential for supplying electricity needed for reactor cooling systems and other key nuclear safety functions, Australia is deeply concerned by the reported damage sustained from air attacks on several substations. The IAEA’s presence has also been critical in helping to stabilise the situation at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and in providing an independent, impartial source of reporting to the international community.
The impact of Russia’s systematic strikes on the safety of Ukrainian nuclear power plants are particularly alarming, demonstrate an unmistakable pattern of escalation and are incompatible with Russia’s stated commitment to uphold nuclear safety and security. The risks to nuclear safety and security would not exist were it not for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The fortieth anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster on 26 April underscores the devastating consequences of a nuclear accident. Damage to the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement Arch by a drone strike in 2025 is a deeply concerning example of this high-risk environment.
We reaffirm our full support for the IAEA’s commitment to Ukraine, including the Board’s resolutions on Ukraine and its continued condemnation of Russia’s failure to comply with these resolutions.
We reiterate our call on Russia to immediately end its unprovoked and unjustified war and adhere fully to its obligations under international law, cease attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and critical energy infrastructure, and uphold the nuclear safety principles of this Board.
With these comments, we note the Director General’s report and request it be made public.
Thank you, Chair.