Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected reports that he discussed a potential U.S. takeover of Ukraine’s atomic energy facilities with Donald Trump, but said he was open to American investment in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
An official White House account of a phone call between the U.S. and Ukrainian leaders on Wednesday indicated that President Trump had mooted the acquisition of Ukraine’s nuclear plants and electricity network, saying that “American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure.”
But President Zelenskyy said on Thursday that they had not talked about a change of ownership, emphasizing that Ukraine’s nuclear energy infrastructure belongs to the state and the people of Ukraine.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, which is considered Europe’s largest nuclear power station, is currently under Russian occupation and is not producing electricity. Trump has previously suggested its future could be decided in peace negotiations with Moscow.
During an official visit to Norway on Thursday, Zelenskyy rebuffed suggestions that the plant could go into American hands, saying that ownership and investment were two different things.
“If... they [the Americans] want to take the station from the Russians and they want to invest there, to modernize it, that is a completely different issue - we're open to discussing it,” he said at a press conference.
“But the issue of property [ownership] we definitely did not discuss with President Trump.”
Speaking earlier at an online briefing reported by state press agency Ukrinform, Zelenskyy said he told Trump that the site would need significant investment and modernization to become operational again.
Removing Russian forces from the site would not suffice, he added.
“I said that the station alone is not enough, because there must be proper infrastructure, there must be water supply, technical staff and many other steps that are needed to make the station profitable in 1.5-2 years,” he said.
The security situation around the Zaporizhzhia site was described as a “deep source of concern” by inspectors earlier this year after a power line was damaged.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog raised the alarm in February after the plant’s only remaining backup power line was damaged. Although the plant’s six reactors ceased generating electricity over two years ago, the facility still needs power for cooling and safety purposes.
