French President Emmanuel Macron announced the existence of an agreement on the withdrawal of Russian heavy weapons from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the temporarily captured Energodar.

According to him, negotiations are currently underway with the participation of the IAEA regarding the terms of withdrawal and the creation of a safety zone around the NPP.

The Ukrainian side insists on the complete de-occupation of the ZNPP, but the Kremlin denies the existence of any agreements on this matter.

At the same time, there is information about the deployment of the Russian "Grads" at the nuclear power plant in order to stop rumors about a possible withdrawal from Energodar. 

TSN.ua found out what the situation is today around Zaporizhzhya NPP.

What the IAEA says

The head of the IAEA, 

 , and the head of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers,

, held a meeting in Paris on December 13, where they discussed the situation surrounding the ZNPP.

Grossi said that in the near future he will send permanent missions to all nuclear plants in Ukraine.

The organization's independent experts will work at the Zaporizhzhia, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Yuzhno-Ukrainian, and Chornobyl NPPs. 

Shmyhal emphasized that the demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia NPP is point #1 of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi's peace plan.

The Prime Minister insists that it is necessary to stop the illegal actions of Russia regarding the Ukrainian station as soon as possible.

Earlier, the head of the IAEA stated in an interview with the Italian mass media that the Russian occupying forces may soon leave the territory of the ZANP.

According to him, Kyiv and Moscow have already agreed not to attack the nuclear plant and not to open fire on its territory.

As Grossi reported,

.

"This is what the Ukrainians demand, and their point of view is clear. And in any case, this would be part of the general agreement," Grossi said.

According to the head of the IAEA,

.

He noted that during the negotiations, the parties have already made significant progress in discussing several key points.

Armed Forces of Ukraine can take ZNP "teplenko" - Arestovych 

On December 4 , the advisor of the President's Office,

 , said that the occupiers may soon leave the Zaporizhzhia NPP, passing it off as a "gesture of goodwill."

The advisor of the President's Office explained that this is possible in the event of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Melitopol. 

"We don't even have to fight there: we approached, surrounded, waited until they died there and took the Zaporizhia NPP warm and without a single damage. They know this. Therefore, all the talks are not a gesture of goodwill, but these are their measures in desperate attempts to ensure the defense of the south and make sure that part of their forces and means do not fall into a trap, including in Energodar," Arestovych explained. 

However, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman

insists that the Kremlin has no intention of handing over control of the station to any third party as part of the agreement to create a nuclear safety zone around it.

"There is no question of any withdrawal of the ZNPP from Russian control or transfer of control over it to a third party," said the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

In addition, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation refuted the statement of the Director General of the IAEA that Ukraine and Russia are "close to concluding an agreement on the ZNPP".

Zelensky suggested that Putin leave and gave a deadline

President of Ukraine

 during his address to the leaders of the G7 countries on December 12, called on Russia

and begin the withdrawal of troops not only from the ZANP, but from all occupied territories.

"It would be right 

. If Russia withdraws its troops from Ukraine, then a reliable cessation of hostilities will be ensured," the president emphasized. 

Zelenskyi's statement was commented on by the spokesman of Russian President Vladimir Putin,

.

"There is no question that Russia can start withdrawing troops from Ukraine by the end of this year," Peskov said.

He advised the Ukrainian side to "accept the realities that have developed during this time", alluding to Russia's occupation of the southern and eastern territories.

When the occupiers will leave Energodar: three forecasts of experts

The director of energy programs of the Razumkov Center, 

 expressed the opinion on Channel 24 that the liberation of the ZNPP from the Russian army is possible by the end of the year.

"The IAEA is trying to exert serious pressure on Russia regarding the creation of a safety zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In addition, Mr. Erdogan, the President of the Republic of Turkey, is putting quite a lot of pressure on Russia in this matter. Let's not forget that Macron has also joined this work, even the Pope. 

," Omelchenko said.

In his opinion, it is quite a realistic scenario that "

."

shares the same opinion

.

"

I think that by the new year this process will be completed, and the Russians will at least withdraw from the ZNPP, at most - from Energodar," he predicts.

In turn, military expert 

believes that the release of Energodar is possible in the event of a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces, and favorable conditions for this will appear no earlier than the first quarter of 2023.

"

. Maybe it will happen. But not now, not tomorrow, and not in a week," Kovalenko believes .

As the expert emphasized, the conditions for a counteroffensive have not yet been formed, so "it is too early to talk about the escape of the occupiers, but it is still inevitable."

Read also: 

• The situation at the ZNPP: the occupiers have forbidden the entry of station employees who do not want to cooperate with the enemy

• Podolyak explained why the occupiers will leave the Zaporizhzhya NPP

• The Russians may leave the Zaporizhzhia NPP: the president of Energoatom named the signs of this