Russia signals openness to US involvement at occupied Ukrainian nuclear plant

Russia indicated for the first time that it might be willing to discuss American presence at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) as part of broader peace negotiations, marking a potential shift in Moscow’s position on the facility’s control.

The ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian control since the early stages of the full-scale war but remains a critical infrastructure asset for both countries.

Just days earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had rejected any possibility of transferring the plant to US and Ukrainian control, an arrangement reportedly included in the Trump administration’s peace proposal for Ukraine.

Alexei Likhachev, head of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, stated on 30 April that discussions with the US regarding the plant could be possible if approved by Russian leadership.

“In case of a political decision by the country’s leadership, we are ready to discuss this with the American side,” Likhachev told Interfax-Russia. 

According to Russian Interfax, Lavrov had previously claimed Russia never received such a proposal and maintained that the facility now operates under Rosatom management with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had also previously declared the ZNPP a Russian nuclear facility, stating that transferring it or its control to Ukraine or any other country would be “impossible.” Joint operation arrangements with other nations had similarly been dismissed.

The US peace plan calls for Russia to return occupied portions of Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast, the Kakhovka Dam, and the Zaporizhzhia plant to Ukrainian control. Under this proposal, the nuclear facility would be monitored by the United States, with electricity production shared between Ukraine and Russia.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will prioritize the liberation of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) during initial diplomatic talks with Russia. He also asserted that Ukraine would not allow the plant to supply electricity to Russia and emphasized that the plant ceased operations under Russian control, lacks professional Ukrainian management, and is deteriorating dangerously, with Russian military units, including Chechen forces, occupying the facility.