The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has asked for international donors to help repair the damage left after Russian forces' control of the Chernobyl area earlier this year.

The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine said the decision to suspend some licences was taken after considering the impact of the damage in the exclusion zone resulting from the Russian military occupation of the area.

The meeting came as the International Atomic Energy Agency continues efforts to get its inspectors access to the Zaporozhe nuclear power plant. In other developments, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine has suspended some licences at Chernobyl, as a result of the recent occupation.

A damaged external power line has been repaired allowing Zaporozhe to return to previous output levels, Energoatom said. It comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency continues efforts to get access to the plant for its inspectors - and outlines the initial results of its radiation monitoring during its mission to Chernobyl.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told the Associated Press, his organisation needs access to Europe's largest nuclear power plant for safety inspections and to help carry out necessary repairs.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team led by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is at Chernobyl to deliver equipment requested by Ukraine, check radiation levels and restore safeguards and monitoring systems at the site. The visit comes 36 years after the 1986 accident.

A mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency will arrive at the Chernobyl site this week to assist Ukrainian managers returning it to routine operation after a month of occupation by Russian forces.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the re-establishment of direct phone communication between the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine and Chernobyl was an "important step in the process of resuming Ukraine's regulatory control of the site".

The first staff rotation at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant in three weeks and only the second since late February when Russian forces seized the site has been carried out. The workers were transported by boat as the plant remains inaccessible by road.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said it was of "paramount importance" to assist Ukraine in ensuring safety in the area - it follows footage of what appears to have been trenches dug by Russian forces in contaminated land in the exclusion zone.

Following the departure of the Russian forces, the site and its surroundings are being checked for safety, and the radiation situation assessed, Ukraine says.

The staff currently working at Chernobyl have been on site for two weeks, but following the departure of Russian forces, Ukraine said it was preparing to bring in a new shift.