Demarcation lines, ownership of Ukraine's power plant discussed in Saudi Arabia, Trump says
Talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, include discussions on territories, demarcation lines, and ownership of Ukraine’s power plant, U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 24 during a press briefing.
Trump’s statement comes as negotiations between the U.S. and Russian delegations continue. Ukrainian officials are expected to meet their American counterparts after U.S-Russia talks are finished.
“We’re talking about territory right now. We’re talking about lines of demarcation, talking about power, power plant ownership. Some people are saying the United States should own the power plant…because we have the expertise,” Trump said.
Trump did not specify which power plant he was talking about.
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said he had discussed with Trump the possibility of U.S. assistance in restoring the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe.
The Zaporizhzhia plant’s location, the city of Enerhodar on the east bank of the Dnipro River, remains under Russian occupation, and Ukraine has no access to the surrounding territory.
During the March 19 phone call, Trump suggested to Zelensky that the U.S. could be “very helpful in running the plants with its electricity and utility expertise” and that “American ownership of those plants would be the best protection,” the White House said, without naming specific facilities.
While the station remains under Russian control, it does not generate electricity. The facility has been repeatedly disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure. Moscow has ignored calls to relinquish control of the facility.
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova