Trump says Putin made 'major progress' on Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

"We discussed it at length today. It's in pretty good shape. It can start almost immediately. President Putin is actually working with Ukraine on getting it open. That's a big step when he's not bombing that plant," Trump stated.

US President Donald Trump said the facility was the largest nuclear power plant in the world and noted that it could be brought back online quickly.

The US president added that it marked major progress, noting that Russia had stopped targeting the nuclear power plant with bombing.

Situation at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. During this period, the occupying power has repeatedly attempted to legitimize its control over the facility, in violation of international law.

Recent actions by Russia’s nuclear regulator are viewed as another act of nuclear coercion, heightening security risks for the region and beyond.

As part of US peace initiatives, Washington has floated a proposal for joint management of the plant involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said such an approach would be unfair.

Earlier reports said that on November 19, Ukraine restored power supply to the occupied plant after a transmission line was damaged by Russian strikes. Before that, the facility had lost external power completely ten times.

On December 6, the plant again lost external power and is currently connected to only one external line, continuing to pose nuclear safety risks.

On Saturday, December 28, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a localized ceasefire near the plant, enabling repair work to begin on a power transmission line in the vicinity.