The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Moscow “does not consider it possible” to transfer the Ukrainian Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), or control over it, to Ukraine or any other country.
“The return of the plant to the Russian nuclear industry is a long-accomplished fact, which the international community simply has to recognize. The transfer of the ZNPP itself or control over it to Ukraine or any other country is impossible,” the official statement by the Russian ministry reads.
The statement also says that joint operation of the ZNPP with another country is unacceptable, as there is no such global precedent. In such an event, it argues, it would be impossible to ensure nuclear and physical safety or resolve issues of civil liability for potential nuclear damage.
It also claimed that close cooperation between Ukrainian and NATO intelligence services, which possess significant sabotage capabilities, rules out even temporary access for representatives of those countries to the facility.
“All personnel at the plant are citizens of the Russian Federation; their lives must not be endangered, especially considering the atrocities committed and still being committed by Ukrainians on our territory,” the document states.
On March 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during a conversation with US President Donald Trump, he made it clear that the ZNPP is a Ukrainian facility and must not operate without Ukraine.
Zelensky and a host of independent investigators have concluded that the Russians themselves blew up the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023, which jeopardized water supply to the nuclear plant. Without an adequate water supply, the plant cannot function.
“No one will supply electricity to the Russians,” the president stressed. He noted that Russia hoped to use the ZNPP for its own energy needs, but that will not happen: “It’s our plant. It won’t work without us, and it won’t work for them.” Zelensky said he had clearly communicated this position to Trump.
Zelensky also said that during the conversation, Trump proposed a joint initiative to restore the Zaporizhzhia plant. In response, the Ukrainian president said he would be open to that – provided the US invests in bringing the plant’s technology up to date and helps returning it to Ukrainian control:
“If you invest in modernization and help return the plant – okay.”