We, the G7 Nonproliferation Directors General of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and of the High Representative of the European Union remain strongly concerned by the serious threats that Russia’s seizure and militarization of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) pose to the safety and security of this nuclear facility, its staff, and the region.

We condemn Russia’s repeated kidnapping of Ukrainian ZNPP leadership and staff and denounce the application of other forms of pressure on remaining Ukrainian personnel. These actions further impair the nuclear safety and security of the ZNPP by preventing key personnel from executing their indispensable functions. We strongly reject these reckless, cruel, and dangerous acts and demand the immediate release of those detained.

We urge Russia to immediately return full control of the ZNPP to its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine, to remove all Russian personnel from the facility, and to stop any attempts to recklessly and dangerously place the ZNPP under Russian administration, which could further jeopardize its safe and secure operations.

We will never recognize the Russian Federation’s attempted illegal annexations of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions of Ukraine and strongly condemn Russia’s control of nuclear facilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders. Any such annexation attempts are null and void, and have no legal effect. We reaffirm Ukraine’s full sovereignty over all its territory, including this nuclear facility. The ZNPP and the electricity it produces belong to Ukraine, and we stress that attempts by Russia to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian power grid would be unacceptable. We strongly underline that the ZNPP should not be used for military activities or the storage of materiel.

We reaffirm the importance of the Seven Pillars of Nuclear Safety and Security, as outlined by the IAEA Director General, and recognize its particular urgency to Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. We support IAEA efforts to facilitate the implementation of these pillars and uphold the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, while fully respecting Ukrainian sovereignty. We welcome the Director General’s work to ensure the safety and security of the ZNPP. We reaffirm our support for resolution GOV/2022/58 adopted on September 15 by the IAEA Board of Governors.