Trump: Washington and Kyiv discussing Ukrainian power plants
U.S. president expects minerals deal to be signed "soon"
The United States is in talks with Ukraine regarding its power plants, President Donald Trump said during a cabinet meeting, Reuters reported.
Trump stated that the United States is negotiating with Ukraine over the possibility of American firms owning Ukrainian power plants.
He also reiterated that he expects a minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States to be signed "soon."
"We're talking about territory right now. We're talking about lines of demarcation, Talking about power, power plant ownership. Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant...because we have the expertise (likely referring to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. – Ed.)," the U.S. president said.
- On March 20, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has no plans to privatize the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
- The city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the nearby Zaporizhzhia NPP have been occupied by Russia since March 2022. Before the occupation, the plant generated up to 20% of Ukraine's total electricity.
- For the past three years, the plant has not supplied electricity to the grid. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, restarting all six power units after the plant is reclaimed from occupation could take years. The energy minister previously stated that even restarting a single unit would be a significant technical challenge.
