Donald Trump suggested the US could run Ukraine’s nuclear plants as a form of security guarantee in his call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday night. The Ukrainian leader described their conversation as “frank” and “positive.”
Trump suggested that the US take over of running Ukraine’s nuclear power plants would be a form of security guarantee.
Like he said during talks over a possible minerals deal, Trump believes that US workers on the ground in Ukraine would provide an adequate guarantee of security against further Russian attacks under any peace deal – without the need for US troops.
Trump’s energy secretary Chris Wright, who said the US could step in to run the plants if it would be helpful for a ceasefire.
“We have immense technical expertise in the US to run those plants,” he told Fox News.
He said the prospect of the US running nuclear plants in Ukraine was “no problem” and “we can do that.”
When asked about the proposal after the Trump call last night, Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters discussions were in the early phases around US involvement at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, but did not mention the other three plants on Ukrainian soil.
The Zaporizhzhia facility has been controlled by Russian forces since March 2022, with Kyiv and Moscow both accusing each other of attacking it since then.
It has six nuclear reactors capable of generating around 1,000 megawatts of electricity each.
The plant is one of the 10 biggest nuclear power stations in the world, and at one point generated nearly half of Ukraine’s nuclear power and more than 20% of the electricity generated in the country.
