The head of the United Nations atomic energy agency has visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine and says it is unrealistic to expect the two sides to sign a document on the site's security as fighting rages.
Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, was inspecting the state of the nuclear power plant following last week's devastating breach in the Kakhovka dam downstream on the Dnipro River.
The plant uses a cooling pond to keep its six reactors from potentially disastrous overheating.
The Kakhovka reservoir was normally used to refill the pond but cannot do so now because of its falling water level following the breach, officials say.
Instead, the pond, which is separated from the reservoir, can be replenished using deep underground wells, they say.
Grossi, who had to pass through a Russian checkpoint to reach the plant, which is located near the military frontline, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying the situation at the site was "serious" but that the level of cooling water was sufficient.
He also said that IAEA inspectors would remain at the site.
"We have a political agreement which was formulated at the (United Nations) Security Council. Reaching a written agreement would be unrealistic at this stage because, as we know, there are no peace or ceasefire negotiations between the parties," TASS news agency quoted Grossi as saying.
Grossi's trip to the Zaporizhzhia plant was delayed by a day for security reasons amid continued heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Russian forces captured both the nuclear plant and the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent them into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Grossi has repeatedly called for an end to fighting in the vicinity of the facility to avoid any catastrophic accidents.
The plant's six reactors are currently in shutdown.
Russia and Ukraine blame each for shelling the facility.
This has repeatedly cut power lines.
There are diesel generators at the plant, which also has alternative water sources.
Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia's state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, was quoted by RIA news agency as saying that Grossi had observed during his visit the security measures taken at the plant to ensure its safety following the breach of the dam.
Meanwhile, a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday indicates leaders of African countries could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The framework document, which has not been made public, lists a number of measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first stage of their engagement with the warring parties.
Those measures could include a Russian troop pull-back, removal of tactical nuclear weapons from Belarus, suspension of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting Russia's Putin and sanctions relief.
A cessation of hostilities agreement could follow and would need to be accompanied by negotiations between Russia and NATO, the document stated.
Senegal's President Macky Sall and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa are heading a delegation including leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt's prime minister that will travel to Kyiv on Friday and St Petersburg on Saturday.
They are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Putin.
African countries have been hit hard by the fallout from the war, which has disrupted supplies of grain and other food supplies, aggravated food price inflation and worsened existing hunger crises on the continent.
"The above-mentioned measures should aim to facilitate the creation of an environment conducive for a ceasefire, and that will allow the parties to build trust and to consider formulating their peace restoration strategies," the document said.
