On Wednesday, Donald Trump suggested to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States should take charge of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. This conversation took place a day after the U.S. leader spoke with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as part of his efforts to find a solution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
According to a summary of the call provided by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, published by Nucnet, Trump addressed Ukraine’s power supply and nuclear plants, suggesting that “the United States could be very helpful in operating these plants with its expertise in electricity and public utilities.”
Furthermore, the U.S. president emphasized that American ownership of these plants would provide “the best protection” for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The conversation between Trump and Zelensky primarily focused on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since 2022. This facility, the largest in Europe, consists of six units and has a capacity of 5,700 MW when all its units are operational.
However, all units are currently in “cold shutdown,” a state defined by nuclear regulators in which the reactor cooling system is at atmospheric pressure and a temperature below 90°C. This shutdown reduces the need for cooling and lowers the risk of nuclear accidents.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned about the danger of nuclear accidents due to Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia and Ukraine’s power grid. Despite these warnings, the plant has been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid multiple times due to Russian bombings.
Status of Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants
Ukraine heavily relies on nuclear energy to meet more than half of its electricity demand. Currently, three nuclear power plants remain operational: Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, and South Ukraine.
Additionally, Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear company, plans to complete units 3 and 4 of the Khmelnytskyi plant, whose construction was halted in 1990 following the Chernobyl disaster and financial difficulties. The plans include purchasing reactor equipment originally intended for an abandoned project in Bulgaria.
