During a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Beijing on 2/9, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the possibility of Moscow considering "trilateral cooperation" with the US and Ukraine concerning Europe's largest nuclear power plant, located in the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine.
This information, released by Russia's Vesti television channel, marks a notable shift from the Kremlin's previous messaging regarding the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Located in the city of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia province, this is Europe's largest nuclear power plant. Russia has controlled the facility since the early months of the conflict and has consistently rejected the possibility of handing over its supervision to any other party.
The exact mechanism of the trilateral cooperation proposed by Putin for operating the Zaporizhzhia plant remains unclear. Kyiv and Washington have not yet commented on this statement.
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Russian soldiers patrol outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in August 2022. Photo: Reuters |
Russian soldiers patrol outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in August 2022. Photo: Reuters
Former US President Donald Trump previously proposed that Washington operate or own the plant to ensure its safety, but Moscow consistently rejected this due to its declaration of annexing Zaporizhzhia and three other Ukrainian provinces in 2022. Kyiv has repeatedly demanded Russia return control of the plant, accusing Moscow of using the facility for nuclear blackmail.
The Zaporizhzhia plant, with its six reactors, has been a nuclear security hotspot since Russia took control of the area. International experts have repeatedly warned of the risk of disaster if the conflict continues around the facility. As Trump strives to promote peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the plant's fate is expected to be a crucial part of any agreement reached.
In his meeting with Prime Minister Fico, Putin reaffirmed that he discussed security options for both Russia and Ukraine with President Trump at their August 15 summit in Alaska.
"The new US administration is ready to listen to us," Putin said, adding that Russia had repeatedly raised concerns about NATO with the previous administration, but these were ignored. He emphasized that the parties now "have an opportunity" to find common ground on security for Ukraine.
The Russian president also affirmed that Russia has never opposed Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union (EU), but reiterated that NATO "is a different matter." He accused the West of seeking to "absorb" the entire post-Soviet space through NATO, forcing Moscow to respond with military action in Ukraine in 2022.
Putin also dismissed warnings from some European leaders that Russia might launch further attacks on the continent, calling it fear-mongering and an attempt to scare Europeans.
Thanh Danh (Kyiv Independent, Reuters, RT)
