IAEA chief sees no preconditions for using nuclear weapons in Ukraine conflict.The head of the IAEA spoke about the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine

TOKYO: At the same time, Rafael Grossi pointed out that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are the only countries officially recognised under international law as possessing nuclear weapons

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said that he does not see any conditions for the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukrainian conflict.

"I don’t think we see at the moment conditions for the use of nuclear weapons, if we are referring to the war in Ukraine. At the moment, at least," he said at a briefing in Tokyo.

At the same time, Grossi pointed out that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are the only countries officially recognised under international law as possessing nuclear weapons. According to them, a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought, the IAEA chief stressed.

Previously, it was reported that Grossi, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, called for maximum military restraint around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The IAEA also said that Grossi, during a meeting with Putin, called the situation with nuclear and physical safety at the Zaporizhia NPP “shaky”. The conversation was focused on reducing risks to the security of the facility, they added.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Western leaders practice nuclear rhetoric every day and emphasized that Russia does not intend to take part in these verbal exercises. The spokesman also recalled that Moscow can only use nuclear weapons only in accordance with the provisions of its nuclear doctrine.