Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) will not operate for Russia, and restoring its functionality could take up to 2.5 years, according to UNIAN.
US President Donald Trump has shifted his focus to taking control of Ukrainian nuclear power plants after his previous attempt to secure a colonial-style mineral deal with Ukraine failed. While the US is reluctant to offer Ukraine any security guarantees, the US administration’s current proposal suggests that if Ukraine effectively gives up its energy security, US-controlled nuclear power plants, including the ZNPP, the largest plant in Europe, would allegedly be secure from Russian strikes.
“No one will supply electricity to the Russians. They expected that Zaporizhzhia station would supply them with electricity. No, this is our station. It won’t operate without us, and it won’t operate for them,” the Ukrainian president says.
Zelenskyy also notes that both the IAEA and Ukrainian experts confirm the need for repairs.
“Trump asked if we could work together on this issue. I replied: Yes, if you invest in modernization. Yes, if you help us return the plant,” Zelenskyy says.
After the Ukrainian president’s statements, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that ZNPP is a “Russian nuclear facility.”
Moscow justified the occupation of the plant with a “referendum” held at gunpoint in violation of international law, the results of which led to the inclusion of four Ukrainian regions into Russia’s constitution: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
“The return of the plant to Russia’s nuclear industry is a long-established fact that the international community must simply recognize. Transferring the ZNPP or control over it to Ukraine or any other country is impossible,” Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Russia also declared the joint operation of ZNPP with any other state inadmissible and expressed opposition to the involvement of international organizations in the plant’s operation.
Read also:
- Russian attack on clinic in Zaporizhzhia kills 3, injures 16
- Two schoolgirls burned alive in Zaporizhzhia as Russian airbombs kill 10
- IAEA: Nuclear safety at risk as Ukraine nuclear plants cut output after Russian attack
