Europe's largest nuclear plant will remain shut down until Russian forces leave, the head of Ukraine's atomic energy agency tells NPR. Under Russian occupation, he says, "staff cannot operate freely."
Antony Blinken is on a trip to Kyiv, where he visited a children's hospital and met with U.S. Embassy staff. The U.S. announced nearly $3 billion in aid and weapons for Ukraine and other countries.
Progress has been slow but Ukrainian military officers say U.S.-supplied rockets and training are making a difference from when NPR visited in the spring.
The international atomic watchdog has been to some of the world's toughest locations, but nothing quite like Europe's largest nuclear power plant in an active war zone.
As a stalemate sets in on Ukraine's eastern front line, a city lives in limbo with constant shelling, limited fuel and spotty utilities. The government ordered evacuations but some residents remain.