U.S. proposes to divide Zaporizhzhia NPP into three parts: Zelensky calls it unfair

President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that the United States proposed a compromise under which the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant would be divided among three parties — Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. He stressed that he considers such an option unfair.

The President made this statement while responding to journalists’ questions, as reported by a Ukrinform correspondent.

“The United States proposed a compromise, as they see it, whereby the plant should somehow exist and operate, and in certain proportions be divided three ways. We discussed this at length, and I told them that I consider this unfair,” Zelensky said.

According to him, the issue is not only that this is a Ukrainian facility. “There are many different issues: not only electricity, not only money. There are issues with access to the plant, including its militarized status and its deteriorating condition, which lacks access to essential services such as water and electricity. There is also the issue that our team, our people, work there and must continue to work there,” the President outlined the list of unresolved problems related to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

He recalled that the plant is currently “not operating at full capacity.” “And when it does operate, a larger team of Ukrainian specialists will be there. Where will they live?” he noted.

In the President’s view, these and many other issues must also be coordinated with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In addition, he said, it remains unclear who would now restore the plant, and the facility is also linked to the issue of rebuilding the dam in the occupied territories. “There must be a dam — the one that the Russians blew up. They blew it up. And who will pay for it now? So there are more questions than answers,” Zelensky concluded.

As reported, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all external power supply overnight from December 5 to 6. This marked the 11th such incident since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Photo: Office of the President