Russia makes new statement about US and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
Photo: Zaporizhzhia NPP (Getty Images)
Russia’s Rosatom has claimed it is ready to discuss the presence of the United States at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) if the Russian leadership agrees to it, said Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, Interfax reports.
According to the state corporation Rosatom, Russia is open to discussing a potential US presence at the ZNPP as part of the settlement of the war in Ukraine.
"If the country’s leadership makes a political decision, we are ready to discuss this with the American side," Likhachev said on Wednesday, April 30.
These words resonate with a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who on Monday, April 28, said that Moscow had not yet received any proposals from Washington regarding the future of the ZNPP or possible joint control of the plant by the US and Ukraine.
Lavrov also hinted that Russia does not intend to return the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Ukraine.
"No, we have not received such a proposal, and if we do, we will explain that the Zaporizhzhia NPP is under the management of the Russian state corporation Rosatom, overseen by IAEA personnel who are constantly present on-site and conducting monitoring," Lavrov stated.
Situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on March 4, 2022, after occupying the satellite town of Enerhodar. Later, the Russian army mined auxiliary areas of the plant and stationed military equipment there.
Eventually, all reactor units were switched to a "cold shutdown" state. Over the three years of war, the plant has repeatedly lost power for internal needs due to Russian shelling damaging power lines.
Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom stated that the current technical condition of the Zaporizhzhia plant does not allow for it to be restarted.
However, US President Donald Trump, in conversations with President Zelenskyy, has shown interest in the ZNPP and the possibility of US involvement in its restoration and modernization. The US may also assist in managing Ukraine’s nuclear power facilities after the war ends.
Additionally, in a recent US peace plan for Ukraine reported by Western media, it is stated that the United States aims to return control of the ZNPP to Ukraine through American oversight and management of the facility.
