Putin to meet IAEA's Grossi in Sochi, expected to discuss Zaporizhzhia plant

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi on Wednesday in the southern Russian city of Sochi, the Kremlin said.

Grossi said on Monday he intends to discuss with Putin Russia's plans for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant it is occupying in Ukraine. Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has lost its connection to all its external power lines eight times in the past 18 months, forcing it to rely on diesel generators for essential functions like cooling fuel in its reactors to avoid a potentially catastrophic meltdown.

While one of its main power lines is currently functioning and its six reactors are in shutdown, which reduces the operational risk, the IAEA says the situation at the plant remains precarious. (Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, John Davison in Geneva)