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Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy reiterated on Thursday that the country's nuclear power plants belonged "to the people of Ukraine."
During his call with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, the U.S. leader apparently suggested that he consider giving the U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to ensure their long-term security, according to a statement released by the U.S. side about the conversation.
However, during a news conference in Oslo, Zelenskyy stated “all nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine,” owned by state, and get paid by Ukraine, even as it is “temporarily occupied” by Russia.
Ukraine NPPs are managed by state company Energoatom.
Zelenskyy said that the two discussed the state-owned but currently occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
"I told him (Trump) that if it is not Ukrainian, it will not operate for anyone else," he said during the news conference. "It is illegal, we can't just dispose of this plant because it's state-owned."
Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack.
After a roughly hour-long call with Trump on Wednesday that both leaders said went well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that “technical” talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend would seek to resolve what types of infrastructure would be protected under the agreement.