President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky positively assessed the arrival of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission at the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), but noted that he had not yet heard calls from the leadership of the organization for the demilitarization of the plant.

"Today, the IAEA mission arrived at the Zaporizhia NPP. It's good that this happened despite all the provocations of the Russian military and the cynical shelling of Enerhodar and the plant's territory. Ukraine did everything to make this mission happen," he said in a video message on Thursday evening.

But it's bad, the president said, that "the occupiers are trying to turn this IAEA mission – really necessary – into a fruitless tour of the plant. I believe that this will be prevented."

"It's good that IAEA representatives can draw objective conclusions about the risks that have arisen at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant for the first time in history. Moreover, they arose precisely because of the occupiers. The main thing is to have the will to draw objective conclusions," he said.

According to Zelensky, "there is clear evidence that Russia did a lot of cynical things to deceive the mission. In particular, by intimidating the residents of Enerhodar."

"The invaders forced people to lie to the representatives of the IAEA – to hand over some papers, to sign something there, to say something," he said.

Zelensky stressed that there was an agreement with the IAEA leadership that the mission would be accompanied by journalists from Ukrainian and international media.

"Unfortunately, this was not done. Although it was promised. Unfortunately, the occupiers did not let the journalists in, but they organized a mass meeting of their propagandists. Unfortunately, the IAEA representatives did not protect representatives of the independent media," he said.

Zelensky expressed hope that the mission would nevertheless draw objective conclusions from the circumstances at the plant. "For more than three decades, our specialists have been managing five facilities – the Chornobyl plant and four working nuclear power plants. The IAEA never had any comments on the activities of any of these facilities until Russia broke into our territory and brought its madness here," the president said.

"When, finally, the Russian military leaves the territory of the Zaporizhia NPP, when they take away their weapons, ammunition, when they stop shelling Enerhodar and neighboring regions and their provocations, the Zaporizhia plant will be able to return to completely safe operation, which has always been under the control of Ukraine," he said.

And most importantly, Zelensky stressed, what should take place is "demilitarization of the plant's territory." "This is precisely the goal of Ukrainian and international efforts. And it's bad that we have not yet heard the relevant calls from the IAEA. Although we talked about this with Mr. Grossi at our meeting in Kyiv. This was a key – key! – point of our agreements," the president said at the end.