Ukraine's Ministry of Energy responds to Putin’s idea of 'cooperation' on Zaporizhzhia NPP

The Ministry of Energy reminded that due to the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the facility is operating under an off-design threat — a condition that was neither structurally nor procedurally foreseen.

After the plant fell under Russian control, Russia allowed "systemic, critically dangerous deformations in the technical functioning of this nuclear facility." This includes not only the destruction of the main water supply source for reactor cooling following the Kakhovka dam explosion, but also multiple disconnections of the plant from Ukraine’s power grid, which led to complete blackouts.

"In this context, the public statements of the Russian president on September 2, 2025, regarding the introduction of new, unknown systems of management and control over the plant should be regarded as evidence of an attempt to use the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as a military instrument in the further conduct of the war against Ukraine," the ministry stressed.

The Ministry of Energy called on international partners to respond immediately, particularly within the framework of the September session of the IAEA General Conference, where these threats must receive a clear and unambiguous assessment.

The ministry also stated that it views Putin’s idea as a deliberate escalation of the nuclear security threat.

What Putin said

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that under "favorable circumstances," he would allow cooperation with the US and Ukraine regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

At the same time, the Kremlin leader did not specify what exactly such cooperation should look like.