Last week, POLITICO reported that United States President Donald Trump sees control of the ZNPP as a crucial energy source for the proposed minerals mining deal with Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the ZNPP is Ukraine’s state property. Still, he was open to cooperation with the American side on its restoration if Ukraine takes back control over the plant and the city of Enerhodar. The White House said the U.S. is discussing ZNPP control with Russia.
But the Kremlin claims the plant is now Russian after sham referendums it conducted illegally and at gunpoint in four Ukrainian regions in 2022. Putin made the ZNPP Russian property by special order and now considers the station Russian “under international law.”
“An important aspect is that close cooperation on impressive sabotage potential of NATO countries with Ukraine makes impossible even temporary admission of representatives of these states to ZNPP,” the Russian foreign ministry said, hinting at its demand to strip Ukraine of Western intelligence aid in any peace negotiations.