The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stands ready to send experts and equipment to Ukraine to help ensure the safety and security of its nuclear facilities and prevent the risk of a severe accident that could threaten both people and the environment, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on Tuesday.

In a video statement, the Director General said he remained gravely concerned about the situation and he again stressed the urgent need to conclude an agreed framework that would enable the IAEA to provide technical assistance for the safe and secure operation of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, which include 15 reactors a well as the Chernobyl site.

“I have personally expressed my readiness to immediately come to Ukraine to conclude such an agreement, which would include substantial assistance and support measures, including on-site presence of IAEA experts at different facilities in Ukraine, as well as the delivery of vital safety equipment,” Grossi said.

However, he said, “a positive outcome still eludes us” after intensive consultations for many days now, adding that “the need to prevent a nuclear accident becomes more pressing with each day that passes”.

“I want to thank the United Nations Secretariat and the many Governments that from the highest levels have expressed support for my initiative and the efforts of the IAEA,” the Director General said.

The IAEA “is ready and able to deploy immediately and provide indispensable assistance for ensuring nuclear safety and security in Ukraine,” he added.

“I hope to be able to conclude this agreed framework without further delay. We cannot afford to lose any more time. We need to act now,” said Grossi.

At the start of the Ukraine war, Russian forces seized the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident at a now-defunct power plant.

Russian forces later captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility after hitting it with artillery fire, setting it ablaze.

There were also reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in the city of Kharkiv, though there was no "radiological consequence", AFP reported.