THE United Nations nuclear watchdog visited Europe’s largest atomic power plant in southern Ukraine today over safety concerns following the recent dam burst and counter-offensive.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed alarm about the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is one of the 10 biggest in the world, amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

It has officials stationed at the plant, which is still run by its Ukrainian staff and has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire since Russia launched its invasion.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said today that areas of the 600-mile front line in Ukraine are witnessing “fierce fighting” after Kiev’s long-anticipated launch of its counter-offensive using Western-supplied weapons.

He also said they have not seen “any changes to posture” by Russia on its nuclear arms after Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko claimed they have already received some tactical weapons from Moscow.

Mr Stoltenberg said: “Russia must know that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

“Russia has invested heavily in new modern nuclear capabilities and also deployed more nuclear capabilities, including close to Nato borders, for instance, in the high north.”

In a move that could further anger Moscow, he said that he expects the alliance to “agree on a multi-year programme where we help to move Ukraine to transition from old standards, equipment, procedures, doctrines to Nato standards and become fully interoperable with Nato.”

Nato defence ministers gathered today to discuss future relations with Ukraine.

In 2008, Nato agreed that Ukraine would join the organisation one day, but did not set a date for it to start membership talks.

Ukraine applied for “accelerated accession” to the group in September.

The Nato-Ukraine Commission, which met after the Morning Star went to print, is already set to be upgraded to a council, giving the country an equal seat at the table.

Nato’s secretive nuclear defence planning group is set to meet on Friday over concerns Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to pull out of nuclear treaties.

Earlier this year, Mr Putin announced the planned deployment of short-range nuclear weapons to neighbour and ally Belarus in a move widely seen as a warning to the West as it stepped up military support for Ukraine.