Russia has rejected a US proposal that would give Washington control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as part of a potential peace settlement, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the negotiations.
Under the American plan, the US would manage Europe's largest nuclear power station and distribute electricity to both Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has pushed back on this proposal, insisting instead on controlling the plant itself while offering Ukraine cheap power, according to the source. Kyiv finds this proposal unacceptable.
The dispute over the Zaporizhzhia plant has emerged as one of several sticking points in US-brokered peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. US and Ukrainian negotiators have discussed an ambitious March goal for reaching a peace agreement, though that timeline is likely to slip given a lack of agreement on the key issue of territory, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
"There's still no progress on the territorial question," one source familiar with the matter said.
Russia is demanding control of the entire Donbas Oblast as part of any potential peace settlement, even as Kyiv controls over 2,000 square miles of the territory. Ukraine describes that demand as unacceptable, though officials in Kyiv have expressed openness to exploring creative solutions, such as a demilitarized or free-trade zone, Reuters reports.
Under the framework being discussed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, any deal would be submitted to a referendum by Ukrainian voters, who would simultaneously vote in national elections, according to five sources who requested anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The US negotiating team—led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner—has expressed to Ukrainian counterparts in recent meetings in Abu Dhabi and Miami that it would be best if that vote occurred soon, three sources said.
Two sources said US and Ukrainian officials had discussed the possibility that the national election and referendum could occur in May. But several sources with visibility into the negotiations described the US-proposed timeline as fanciful. Ukrainian election authorities have projected that it would take around six months to organize an election under current conditions.
"The Americans are in a hurry," said one source familiar with the matter, adding that a vote could be organized in less than six months, but it would still take a substantial amount of time.
US negotiators have said Trump is likely to focus more on domestic affairs as the November congressional midterms approach, meaning top US officials will have less time and political capital to spend on sealing a peace accord, two sources said.
Organizing an election would require legislative changes, as such votes are prohibited during martial law in Ukraine. Ukraine wants a ceasefire throughout the voting campaign to protect the referendum's integrity, and says the Kremlin has a history of breaking its word on agreed-upon halts in fighting, one source said.
"Kyiv's position is that nothing can be agreed until the security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States and partners are in place," the source said.
A second round of US-brokered talks concluded on 5 February in Abu Dhabi with the release of 314 prisoners of war and a commitment to resume discussions soon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the next trilateral meeting was likely to take place soon in the United States.
While Ukraine has sent high-level political delegates to the peace talks, Russia's negotiating team is military-focused and led by the head of the GRU military intelligence agency, Admiral Igor Kostyukov.
Kostyukov's deputy, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, was shot in Moscow on Friday by an unknown assailant. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of assassinating the general to sabotage peace talks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters that Kyiv had nothing to do with the attack.
One Ukrainian official said Zelenskyy was open to the idea of elections in the near future, which has cropped up repeatedly as a US demand since Trump took office in January 2025. Zelenskyy, whose support has declined since the beginning of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion but remains well above 50%, is confident he would win, that official said.
Should territorial issues be resolved, Ukrainian voters could still reject any territorial concessions that are put to a referendum. Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine's national territory, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas seized before the 2022 invasion. Analysts say Russia has gained about 1.3% of Ukrainian territory since early 2023.
While polls show a notable majority of Ukrainians oppose territorial concessions in exchange for Western security guarantees protecting the nation against future Russian aggression, the figures have narrowed slightly over the past year.
The White House declined to comment. The Ukrainian president's office and the Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
