President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 19 that he had discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility of U.S. assistance in restoring the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe, currently under Russian occupation.
"Water supply, technical staff, and many more steps to ensure that in a year and a half to two and a half, the plant starts to bring money and electricity to people. This is my vision," Zelensky said during a Zoom briefing for journalists.
The Zaporizhzhia plant's location, the city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on the east bank of the Dnipro River, remains under Russian occupation, and Ukraine has no access to the surrounding territory.
During the phone call, Trump suggested to Zelensky that the U.S. could be "very helpful in running the plants with its electricity and utility expertise" and that "American ownership of those plants would be the best protection," the White House said, without naming specific facilities.
During the March 19 briefing, Zelensky noted that Trump, during their phone call, had asked whether the U.S. could play a role in rebuilding the facility.
"Yes, if we can modernize it, invest money. This can be discussed, but we talked about only one station," Zelensky said.
Zelensky confirmed on March 14 that the fate of the Zaporizhzhia plant and adjacent Russian-occupied territories had been discussed with the U.S. during bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia a week earlier.
While the station remains under Russian control, it does not generate electricity. The facility has been repeatedly disconnected from Ukraine's power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure. Moscow has ignored calls to relinquish control of the facility.
Experts told the Kyiv Independent that regaining control over the plant is challenging for Ukraine and that maintaining a military presence there without liberating the surrounding areas remains unlikely.
Ukraine and its allies have consistently urged Russia to withdraw its troops from the plant, warning of nuclear safety risks posed by its militarization.
Russian forces continue to occupy about 20% of Ukraine, with reports of systematic repression, torture, and forced deportations emerging from occupied territories.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
