Germany backs security zone around Ukraine nuclear power plant

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi address the media during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

Germany supports the establishment of a security zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday after talks with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi.

Grossi said that the Zaporizhzhia power facility, held by Russia, was right by the front line and that it was almost impossible to create a security zone there, "but we don't give up," he said.

Baerbock also said that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that the Islamic Republic must allow inspectors from the UN's atomic watchdog back to its nuclear sites.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi address the media during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

(Reporting by Alexander Ratz and Miranda Murray; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi address the media during a news conference at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

FILE PHOTO: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a news conference with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi (not pictured), at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Germany November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi