Russia open to 'cooperation' with Ukraine, US at occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Putin claims
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement from Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.
Moscow is open to "three-way cooperation" with the U.S. and Ukraine regarding the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sept. 2, according to Russian news channel Vesti.
The comments, made during Putin's meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Beijing, represent an apparent shift from Moscow's previous refusal of any changes regarding the Ukrainian plant's oversight.
Details of such possible cooperation remain unclear.
The largest nuclear plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been under Russian occupation since 2022. While the facility remains under Russian control, it is not currently generating electricity.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry refuted Putin's attempt to legitimize its occupation of the power plant.
"The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is and will remain an integral part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Any attempts by Russia to question this fact are legally null and void and politically pointless," the ministry said.
"The only way to restore nuclear safety is the immediate and complete withdrawal of Russian military and other personnel from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant."
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, has said that the plant's status would likely play a role in an eventual settlement.
When talking to Zelensky in March, Trump suggested that the U.S. could operate and possibly own the nuclear power plant to ensure its protection.
A similar U.S. proposal, reported by Reuters on April 25, envisioned Ukraine regaining the plant but under U.S. administration, with electricity distributed to both Ukraine and Russia.
Russia's Foreign Ministry responded by claiming the plant to be a "Russian facility" that cannot be transferred to Ukraine or any other country. In 2022, Moscow illegally declared the annexation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and three other Ukrainian regions, despite not controlling them fully.
In turn, Kyiv has demanded that the plant be returned under Ukraine's control and accused Moscow of using the facility as part of nuclear blackmail tactics.
It remains unclear whether Putin's statement represents an actual shift in policy, as the Kremlin has repeatedly retracted its pledges regarding Ukraine and consistently pursued maximalist goals.
