Sweden to support Ukraine nuclear safety via IAEA mission's presence

Sweden is to allocate SEK 20 million (more than $2.1 million) to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) nuclear safety and security missions in Ukraine in 2025.

Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard said that the Government has decided to provide additional support to the IAEA to ensure its continued presence in Ukraine. 

“The IAEA’s work is crucial for the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants," she added.

Sweden’s contribution primarily goes towards financing the presence of IAEA experts at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and Chernobyl. 

“Through the Government’s support to the IAEA, we are contributing to Ukraine’s work on nuclear safety, nuclear protective security and independent reporting. This also enables experts to be on the ground at Ukrainian nuclear power plants and improve their protection. Safety at Ukrainian nuclear power plants is vital to maintaining Ukraine’s resilience,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa in the statement, posted on the Swedish government's website.

In 2022, the IAEA initiated the Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ISAMZ). Its presence at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant helps reduce the risk of armed attacks on and threats to nuclear safety and personnel at the nuclear plant, which, in violation of international law, is controlled by Russia.

Since the first half of 2023, at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the IAEA has initiated similar missions at Ukraine’s other nuclear power plants: Rivne, Khmelnitsky, South Ukraine as well as Chernobyl.

The IAEA’s technical support to Ukraine on nuclear safety and nuclear protective security totals more than $44.1 million a year.

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