“We proposed to the agency a solution with concrete measures to the problem of creating a safe zone, and these proposals are being considered by the IAEA,” Ryabkov said on Thursday in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.

For Russia, he said, the biggest remaining problem on the issue is a lack of trust in Kiev’s willingness to deal with it sensibly. He also noted that Ukraine wants Russian forces to withdraw from the area, something Moscow absolutely rules out.

Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, is located in the city of Energodar, on the shores of the Kakhovka reservoir, in an area controlled since last March by Russian troops.

For months, Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of bombing the plant’s facilities.

The facility’s six reactors are shut down to minimize the risk of their exposure to the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow alleges that its military presence is intended to prevent leaks of nuclear and radioactive materials.

The IAEA recommended the creation of a safety zone around the nuclear plant after visiting it in early September.

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