This file photo dated May 1, 2022 shows a Russian soldier guarding an area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The UN atomic watchdog said that the International Atomic Energy Agency hopes to reach an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to create a protection zone at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by the end of the year.
The nuclear plant, Europe's biggest, provided a fifth of Ukraine's electricity before the conflict, and has been forced to operate on back-up generators a number of times.
The Russian-held plant's shelling has raised concern about the possibility of a grave accident just 500 km 300 miles from the site of the world's worst nuclear accident, the 1986 Chornobyl disaster.
ALSO READ: IAEA: There are no immediate nuclear safety concerns at the plant Zaporizhzhia.
My commitment is to reach a solution as soon as possible. Rafael Grossi told the Italian newspaper La Repubblica that he hopes to be able to hold a position until the end of the year.
Grossi did not rule out meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Our goal is to avoid a nuclear accident, not to create a military situation that would favor either one party or the other, according to Grossi.