Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), on Monday underscored the critical need to uphold the global nuclear nonproliferation regime amid rising instability concerns in Europe, emphasizing the imperative to limit the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons. In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Grossi addressed recent debates sparked by reports that some European Union (EU) countries, including Poland and Germany, are weighing nuclear weapons as potential security guarantees. Such discussions have intensified amid shifting U.S. commitments to NATO, fueling regional anxieties. The director general pointed out that issue has deep roots in recent history, as American nuclear weapons have been stationed in Europe for decades. Shotlist: Vienna, Austria - March 10, 2025: FILE: Vienna, Austria - Date Unknown 1. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters; Vienna, Austria - March 10, 2025 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (ending with shots 3-8): "We are concerned about the stability of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. People see in nuclear weapons the ultimate guarantor of peace. It's debatable whether that is the case or not. We have been working as a global community, in a system which is based on nuclear deterrence, basically with a limited number of countries. In the case of Europe that you are mentioning, one has to make a distinction between developing domestic nuclear weapons and/or having the benefit of other countries' nuclear weapons for protection."; FILE: Vienna, Austria - March 2024 3. Various of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, flags; 4. People entering IAEA headquarters; FILE: Vienna, Austria - June 5, 2023 5. IAEA logo, sign; FILE: Vienna, Austria - Date Unknown 6. Various of sign reading "International Atomic Energy Agency"; people talking with each other in hallway; 7. Various of people walking, flags; 8. Various of IAEA headquarters, flags; Vienna, Austria - March 10, 2025 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rafael Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (ending with shots 10-13): "Remember that in Europe, there are American nuclear weapons that have been stationed for many, many years. Here the debate is more of whose nuclear weapons should be providing this protection. Should they be from America or from other countries? In any case, for the IAEA, it is very important in these times of uncertainties and in these times of high tensions, not to lose the objective of limiting the number of countries with nuclear weapons."; FILE: Washington D.C., USA - October 2024 10. Various of White House; FILE: Berlin, Germany - Date Unknown 11. Various of German national flags, Bundestag building; FILE: Amsterdam, Netherlands - March 16, 2017 12. Dutch national flag; FILE: Rome, Italy - Oct 30-Nov 2, 2024 13. National flags of China, Italy, EU flag; FILE: Istanbul, Türkiye - Aug 23, 2018 14. National flag of Türkiye; FILE: Gaziantep, Türkiye - April 15, 2023 15. Aerial shot of cityscape, national flag of Türkiye. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]