Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the head of the UN's nuclear agency that he is "open to dialogue" on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant and would discuss all issues of concern.
Putin told Rafael Grossi during their televised meeting in St. Petersburg that the situation around the power plant is "of concern."
The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, has been a flashpoint in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv have traded blame for months over shelling near the facility that has sparked fears of a nuclear disaster.
Grossi met with Putin as part of efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to prevent an accident and Grossi’s push to establish a safety and security zone around the plant.
Putin told the IAEA chief he was "ready to discuss all issues of mutual interest or cause for concern, for example, regarding the situation around the Zaporizhzhya power plant."
Grossi is due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv later this week for further talks regarding the power plant, the IAEA said in a statement after Grossi and Putin met.
"There is no time to lose," Grossi said, adding that the situation around the plant is "increasingly dangerous, unstable, and challenging" because of frequent military attacks in the area.
Grossi met Zelenskiy last week for discussions on setting up a protection zone around the plant, which was taken over by Russian troops in March and continues to be operated by a Ukrainian staff with experts from the IAEA present.
Grossi has been "engaging in intense consultations with both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to agree and implement" a security zone as soon as possible, the IAEA statement said.