In a recent phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump proposed the idea of the United States taking control of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. This conversation took place just a day after Trump had discussed peace efforts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of his attempts to find a resolution to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Trump highlighted that the U.S. could effectively supervise Ukraine’s energy facilities, offering its expertise to ensure the safety of these crucial resources. Rubio and Waltz indicated that U.S. ownership of these plants would provide strong protection for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The specifics of which energy assets were up for U.S. control remain unclear. However, during the call, Zelenskyy mentioned that they specifically talked about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, currently held by Russian forces. He noted that the possibility of U.S. control over the plant is linked to whether Ukraine can regain operation of it.
Besides the Zaporizhzhia facility, Ukraine has three other nuclear plants that remain under its control. This discussion comes amid challenges to Trump’s peace efforts, as he had claimed he would quickly resolve conflicts in both Ukraine and Gaza during his presidential campaign. Recently, a ceasefire agreement negotiated by the U.S. between Israel and Hamas fell apart, and Trump was unable to persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine during his latest talks.
During the conversation, Zelenskyy consented to a proposal from the U.S. to halt attacks on Russian energy targets, which follows a preliminary agreement from Putin to cease attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days. Nonetheless, reports indicate that Russian strikes continued early in the day, impacting infrastructure vital to Ukrainian rail services.
Post-call, Trump termed the dialogue with Zelenskyy as “very good” and expressed optimism about the peace negotiations. The White House indicated that the agreement on energy attacks signals the beginning of further discussions in Saudi Arabia aimed at extending the ceasefire to the Black Sea region, calling it a step towards achieving a complete ceasefire.
Zelenskyy termed their communication as “substantive and frank,” commending the move to pause attacks but also stressing the importance of extending such measures to other civilian infrastructures. Additionally, the Ukrainian president reached out for the U.S. to provide advanced Patriot missile systems, with Trump agreeing to assist in locating available resources, particularly from European partners.
The leaders also touched upon a recent prisoner exchange occurring earlier that day, which was part of the entente in Trump’s ongoing peace initiative. Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed they had exchanged 175 prisoners each, marking one of the most significant swaps of the conflict. Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude towards Trump for advocating for humanitarian issues, including the treatment of prisoners of war.