Putin claims talks with US on managing Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant without Ukraine
Photo: Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, temporarily occupied by Russia (Getty Images)
Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed that the United States and Russia are discussing the possibility of jointly managing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russia since 2022, without Ukraine’s involvement, according to the pro-Kremlin outlet Kommersant.
Putin claimed that the United States had expressed interest in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a facility for cryptocurrency mining. At the same time, he said Ukraine's participation in managing the plant was not envisaged.
According to Putin, at the initiative of the United States, the possibility of supplying electricity from the occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to Ukraine is being considered. He added that Ukrainian specialists are still working at the facility, but claimed they have all received Russian passports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously said that control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains one of the most difficult points in the US peace plan for Ukraine. The parties are currently seeking a compromise.
Under the US proposal, the Zaporizhzhia plant would be jointly operated by three countries — Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. Zelenskyy has called this option unfair, insisting that Russia must be removed from the facility. Russia, meanwhile, claims it can operate the plant on its own.
Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Russian forces have repeatedly created risks of a nuclear accident and turned the site into a military base by deploying equipment and personnel there. Russia has also made multiple attempts to connect the plant to its power grid, all of which have been thwarted.
