Thu Mar 20 16:44:52 UTC 2025: ## Zelensky Rejects Trump’s Proposal for US Ownership of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant
**Oslo, Norway** – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected a proposal by former US President Donald Trump for the United States to take ownership of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russian forces. During a press conference in Oslo following talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Zelensky stated that the plant, along with all of Ukraine’s nuclear power units, legally belongs to the Ukrainian state and is not up for negotiation.
Trump, in a Wednesday phone call with Zelensky – their first since a contentious Oval Office meeting last month – suggested US ownership and operation of the plant. A statement from US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (presumably referring to Florida Senator Marco Rubio) subsequently claimed that American ownership would provide the best protection for the infrastructure.
Zelensky countered that while Ukraine welcomes US investment in its energy sector, such discussions are contingent on regaining control of Zaporizhzhia from Russia. He emphasized that the issue of ownership is not open for debate. While open to US investment in modernization and upgrades *after* the plant’s liberation, Zelensky made it clear that Ukrainian sovereignty over its nuclear power facilities is non-negotiable.
First Piper 