International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will lead an inspection of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine this week.
(Bloomberg) — International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will lead an inspection of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine this week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned at the weekend that the situation at the plant remains dangerous, even after two power units were reconnected to the grid following an outage. Several strikes were reported near the site in recent days.
Energy ministers of the European Union will meet in Brussels on Sept. 9 for emergency talks on a bloc-wide solution to the spike in power markets. Czech officials, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, are proposing to cap prices of natural gas used for power generation, according to Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- IAEA Monitors Will Visit Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant This Week
- Zelenskiy Reinforces Nuclear Warning After Disruption
- EU to Propose New Training Mission to Boost Ukraine’s Military
- Germany to Reach October Gas-Storage Target Already Next Month
- European Gas Slumps as Storage Gains, Traders Take Profit
- Why Ukraine Debt Relief Isn’t Matching Funding Needs: QuickTake
On the Ground
The Ukrainian army launched an offensive in many directions in the south of Ukraine, Natalia Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for the military’s southern command, said on Suspilne TV. The city of Energodar near the Zaporizhzhia plant was shelled late Sunday, according to Ukrainska Pravda news site, which also reported that Russia hit the city of Sarny in Ukraine’s western Rivne region with missiles, striking a military infrastructure target. Russia struck Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv again, the regional Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram, while in Donbas several Russian attempts to conduct assaults in the vicinity of Slovyansk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka were unsuccessful, Ukraine’s General Staff said on Facebook.
(All times CET)
US Officials, Allies to Meet in Germany Sept. 8 (14:10 p.m.)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to host an in-person Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Sept. 8, the US said in a statement. Austin has invited Ministers of Defense and senior military officials from around the world to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and various security issues facing allies and partners.
New Training Mission Plan Aims to Bolster Ukraine’s Military (13:35 p.m.)
The European Union could offer Ukraine’s armed forces sniper, de-mining or officer training as part of a new mission the bloc’s foreign policy chief plans to propose to member states this week. Josep Borrell is due to suggest an EU training mission for Ukraine, with the aim of clinching political backing from defense ministers when they gather in Prague starting Monday evening.
While Ukraine’s needs are evolving, Kyiv has identified some specific training needs, including for medical, de-mining and sniper missions, as well as various kinds of officer training, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg.
EU to Hold Emergency Talks on Sept. 9 as Prices Spike (13:25 p.m.)
The Czech Republic, which holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, called an extraordinary meeting of energy ministers to discuss a bloc-wide solution to the spike in power markets.
The meeting, which will take place in Brussels on Sept. 9, will debate concrete measures to tackle the energy crisis, according to Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela. Czech officials are proposing to cap prices of natural gas used for power generation, Sikela said.
Record Number of Refugees Return to Ukraine From Poland (13.:15 p.m.)
Over 73,000 people left Poland for Ukraine on Aug. 27-28, a record for any weekend since Russia’s invasion in February, Polish border guards said on Twitter. Refugees’ returns intensified ahead of the start of the new school year on Sept. 1. Most of the people who fled the war are women with children.
Poland has been a major destination for refugees fleeing the war. Since Feb. 24, 5.89 million people have entered Poland from Ukraine, while about 4 million crossed the border in the opposite direction.
Read More: Poland Sees Record Number of Refugees Returning to Ukraine
European Gas Prices Slump (12:20 p.m.)
European natural gas prices plunged the most since March after Germany said its gas stores are filling up faster than planned and some traders took profits following the rally of recent weeks.
Zelenskiy Offers Spare Gas Capacity (12:10 p.m.)
The Ukrainian president offered excess capacity at the country’s gas-storage facilities for the European Union to use to build supplies for the winter. Ukraine can also be a contributor to the energy transition, he said via a webcast at the ONS conference in Stavanger, Norway.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told the same conference Norway aims to spend 2 billion kroner ($205 million) this year to ensure that Ukrainians can buy gas for the winter. The support will be distributed through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Russia to Ensure IAEA Security on Territory It Controls (12:05 p.m.)
Russia will ensure the security of a mission from the IAEA to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the territory it controls in Ukraine, while it will be up to Kyiv to handle it on the other side of the front, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“We’ve been waiting for this mission for a long time and consider it necessary,” he told a conference call. But he said there is “no discussion” of creating a de-militarized zone around the plant at the moment.
Ukraine Expects Clear IAEA Statement (11:50 a.m.)
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he spoke to IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi on Sunday to discuss details of an inspection of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant this week.
“They have vast experience in inspecting nuclear power facilities across the world under the most difficult circumstances, but without exaggeration this mission will be the hardest in the history of the IAEA given the combat activities undertaken by the Russian Federation on the ground and also the very blatant way that Russia is trying to legitimize its presence” at the plant, Kuleba told reporters in Stockholm Monday. Ukraine expects a “clear statement of facts of violation of all nuclear safety protocols,” he added.
The Moscow-appointed occupation governor told state television earlier on Monday that his officials would show the IAEA delegation evidence of what he said was shelling by Ukrainian forces. Kyiv has denied firing in the area around the plant.
Sweden Announces Aid for Ukraine (10 a.m.)
Half of Sweden’s 1 billion-krona ($93 million) aid package will involve military support and the other half help for the economy and reconstruction, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a press conference in Stockholm Monday as she received Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Sweden will also provide funds to the UN World Food Program, allowing it to buy 30,000 tons of wheat from Ukraine and ship it to countries at risk of famine, she said.
“The goal is for Ukraine to regain total control over your territory, within its internationally recognized borders,” Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said.
Grain Vessels to Depart Ukrainian Ports (8:15 a.m.)
Three commercial vessels carrying 72,985 metric tons of grain and food products were authorized to leave Ukraine on Monday, the Joint Coordination Centre said in an emailed statement. They are destined for Turkey, Romania and Egypt.
Zelenskiy Sacks Deputy National Guard Commander (8 a.m.)
The president dismissed Yaroslav Spodar as deputy commander of Ukraine’s National Guard, according to the Ukrinform site, which said that a decree notifying of the dismissal was published on the presidential website Sunday. It didn’t give any reason for the action.
Germany to Reach Gas-Storage Target Early (7:45 a.m.)
Germany’s economy ministry said gas-storage facilities are filling up faster than planned despite uncertainty over supplies through a key pipeline from Russia, and predicted that an October target of 85% capacity should already be reached early next month.
Germany has reduced its dependence on Russian gas from 55% before the war to about 30% now, and is moving to find alternative sources while filling storage facilities ahead of the winter.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
