UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary General Antonio GuterresReuters

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged Russia and Ukraine to agree on a demilitarized perimeter around the Russian-held Zaporozhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

"As a first step, Russian and Ukrainian forces must commit not to engage in any military activity towards the plant site or from the plant site," Guterres told the UN Security Council, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.

"As a second step, an agreement on a demilitarized perimeter should be secured. Specifically, that would include a commitment by Russian forces to withdraw all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter and a commitment by Ukrainian forces not to move into it," he added.

Guterres’ statement came hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called for the creation of a “safety zone” around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

The atomic agency said that it continued to be “gravely concerned” about the situation at the site, and added that there was an “urgent need” for the protective zone to stop the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in a statement after visiting the plant that a nuclear safety and protection zone at the Russian-occupied nuclear reactor was necessary.

IAEA inspectors revealed last week that upon visiting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Thursday, they discovered that its physical integrity had been “violated.

The Zaporizhzhia complex has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the war.

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the nuclear installation, sparking fears of a nuclear accident.

The plant was recently severed from Ukraine's power network for the first time in its four-decade history due to what Energoatom said were "actions of the invaders". The plant came back online the next day.

On Monday, the IAEA said the plant was knocked off the electricity grid, its last transmission line disconnected because of a fire caused by shelling.