UN Nuclear Chief Warns about Ukrainian Nuclear Center

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UN Nuclear Chief Warns about Ukrainian Nuclear Center

The United Nations nuclear chief has warned that Europe's largest nuclear power center is, in his words, "completely out of control."

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, made the comment to the Associated Press (AP) Tuesday. Grossi said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine is getting more dangerous every day.

He said, "Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated" at the nuclear production center.

Russia seized the plant soon after it started its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Grossi said the physical integrity of the plant has not been respected. At the beginning of the war, the center was shelled and both sides accuse each other of attacking it.

He also called the situation "paradoxical" because the plant continues to operate with Ukrainian workers although Russia controls it. Grossi added that contact between the IAEA and the workers was "faulty" and "patchy," meaning incomplete.

In addition, supply lines for equipment and parts had been interrupted. So, it is unclear if "the plant is getting all it needs," said Grossi. He added that the IAEA needs to perform some very important inspections¹ to make sure nuclear material is being safeguarded.

The Russian capture of Zaporizhzhia raised fears that the center with 15 nuclear reactors² could be damaged. The fear was of another nuclear disaster like the one that took place in Ukraine's Chernobyl plant in 1986. That was the world's most severe nuclear accident.

Russian forces also seized Chernobyl at the beginning of the war but handed control back to Ukrainians at the end of March. Grossi visited on April 27 saying IAEA assistance had been "very, very successful so far."

The IAEA leader said he and his team need protection to get to Zaporizhzhia and cooperation from Russia and Ukraine. He also said the agency's visit would ease conflict. "The IAEA, by its presence, will be a deterrent³ to any act of violence against this nuclear power plant," he said.

On Monday, Grossi spoke⁴ at an event marking the 50-year-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. The Argentinian diplomat⁵ also spoke about the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers. He said the negotiations⁶ were "complex" but "not impossible."

He added that some IAEA inspections of Iran's nuclear program would continue without an agreement. But he noted⁷ that cooperating with the IAEA would help Iran "build trust and confidence."

Grossi also said that the nuclear submarine deal between the United States, Britain and Australia would require an agreement with the IAEA to make sure no nuclear material is lost.

Words in This Story

integrity –n. the quality of being complete and whole

paradoxical –adj. made up of two opposite things

confidence –n. the feeling or belief that someone or some group is good or able to succeed at something

1 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

3 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。