Zelensky issues new snub to Trump as he refuses to make nuclear deal
A day after the White House floated the shocking idea of U.
A day after the White House floated the shocking idea of U.S. ownership of Ukrainian nuclear plants, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said he could not legally negotiate transfer of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The plant, which came under fire after Russias invasion and raised fears of a nuclear disaster, is currently occupied by Russian troops. Now offline, it is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Trump said the U.S. could own it, in the latest statement seeking to shake up negotiations meant to bring an end to the three-year war. The topic came up in Trumps phone call Wednesday with Zelensky.
President Trump also discussed Ukraines electrical supply and nuclear power plants. He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise, according to a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.
American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure, it said.
The potential energy cooperation came up amid a stalled minerals deal that Trump says will provide security for Ukraine and allow it to reimburse the U.S. for billions spent arming and aiding the country.
We will not discuss it. We have 15 nuclear power units in operation today. This all belongs to our state, Zelensky told a news conference in Oslo, where he held talks with Norways Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
We have 15 nuclear power units in operation today. This all belongs to our state, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking about Trump raising the issue of U.S. ownership of Ukrainian nuclear plants
He said the nuclear plants legally belonged to the Ukrainian people but that Kyiv was open to US investment once Ukraine got back control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, seized by Russian troops at the start of the war.
If they want to take it back from the Russians, if they want to modernize it, invest – this is a different question, this is an open question, we can talk about it, Zelensky added.
Trump made the proposal during a call with Zelensky on Wednesday, which was believed to be their first conversation since a blazing televised row in the Oval Office last month.
Trumps tone on Wednesday was positive after the Zelensky call.
But there is at least one major obstacle to the idea: it would be years before there is even a hope of it making a return on investment.
The vast plant occupied by Russia since the early days of its 2022 invasion is beset with problems. Its six reactors are in cold shutdown, the facility has lost its main supply of cooling water and no one knows the state of its equipment.
American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to a U.S. government readout following the call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky
Trump said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise, according to a statement
Two Ukrainian industry sources said the proposal could be an example of the U.S. testing out various ideas to see what works, as Trump seeks to hammer out a lasting peace deal that would rapidly end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
One of the sources said the idea also applied pressure on Russia by proposing an arrangement in which they would have to hand over the plant. The Americans were inflaming the situation by using the word ownership, the source said.
Zelenskiy has said it would take two-and-a-half years to restore the plant, the largest such facility in Europe.
A former senior Ukrainian official said anything is possible with the Americans, but this is something quite unusual.
The Americans would own it - and on what grounds? It belongs to Ukraine. Okay, lets hand it over to the USA - but on what basis? Will they buy it? Will they take it as a concession? Many questions.
Oleksandr Kharchenko, a Kyiv-based energy analyst, said the return of the plant to the Ukrainian grid - as Kyiv demands - would be a game changer for energy generation not only for Ukraine but also for eastern and central Europe.
The station provided 20% of Ukraines power output before the war. Ukraine started large-scale electricity exports to the European Union just before the invasion, but stopped when Russia hammered its infrastructure with missiles and drones.
Despite making attempts, Moscows forces have not been able to connect the facility to the Russian grid and it produces no energy.
Kharchenko said it would take up to one year to restart just a single reactor, and up to four years to get the whole station running because of various problems.
For one, the plant lost access to water from the now-emptied Kakhovka reservoir after the hydroelectric station and dam were blown up in 2023 ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
The nuclear facility has since been taking water from a cooler pond, but the water level has been decreasing.
Engineers at Ukraines energy ministry believe the water shortage would mean that only a maximum of two of the plants six reactors could be turned back on to generate electricity.
Whats more, they believe it would take at least a year to restart even those limited operations because the technical condition of the plant is not known.
A staff member at the plant who fled life under occupation and is now living in Kyiv told Reuters that Ukraine had drafted a detailed plan of action for the facilitys potential return.
The staff member, who asked not to be named because their relatives were still living under occupation, said it would not be enough for Russia to simply hand over the plant on its own.
The adjacent, Russian-held thermal power plant would also be needed, as would nearby settlements including the city of Enerhodar as well as a route by road to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, the worker said.
Nonetheless, for some people like pensioner Olha Shyshkyna in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia not far away, the return of the plant one day looks likely as it has had no actual use for the Russian side so far.
For Russia, our nuclear station is like a suitcase without a handle. After all, it is not operational, and now its just a plaything. To us, its critically important, she said.