President Volodymyr Zelensky said that during his phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, the issue of restoring the operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was discussed.
This was reported by the head of state during an online briefing, according to Ukrinform.
“The plant (ZNPP – ed.) is not working, again because Russia has illegally occupied it. The question is whether we are able to restore this station, we discussed this,” Zelensky noted.
He added that during the conversation with Trump, he emphasized that the de-occupation of the ZNPP alone would not be enough.
“I said that the station alone is not enough, because there must be proper infrastructure, there must be water supply, technical staff and many other steps that are needed to make the station profitable in 1.5-2 years. It should bring electricity, especially for people,” said the Ukrainian President.
According to him, Donald Trump showed interest in the potential participation of the United States in modernizing the ZNPP.
“I told him: yes, if modernization is possible, if investments are possible, we are ready to discuss this with you,” Zelensky said.
As reported, the ZNPP has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022. In September, the station completely stopped producing electricity. Russian military personnel and military equipment are stationed at the nuclear facility. Due to shelling, the external power lines of the ZNPP have been repeatedly damaged.
In June 2023, the Russians blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station. Due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir caused by these actions, the ZNPP has enough water for cooling only when in cold shutdown mode.
Source: Zelensky says discussed restoration of Zaporizhzhia NPP with Trump
