Trump eyes control of Ukraine's nuclear plants as US prepares ceasefire talks with Russia

As apical U.S. officials hole for a gathering with a Russian delegation successful Saudia Arabia Sunday, questions person mounted implicit however the Trump medication volition propulsion Moscow to widen a preliminary ceasefire. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week agreed to temporarily halt strikes connected Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure, which includes Europe’s largest atomic powerfulness plant, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who volition some question to Jeddah for the negotiations, said the adjacent measurement volition beryllium to unafraid a ceasefire implicit the Black Sea.

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From left, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi National Security Advisor Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Ukrainian Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak clasp a gathering successful Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025.  (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

Moscow had antecedently agreed to a akin woody brokered by Turkey and the United Nations successful 2022, known arsenic the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which attempted to unafraid Ukrainian exports of cultivation products to power planetary prices, but Putin pulled retired of the statement successful 2023. 

Security experts stay unconvinced that Putin tin beryllium trusted this clip around.

But determination is different contented that seemingly volition beryllium connected the negotiating array successful the Middle East — Ukraine’s atomic power. 

As the president’s absorption connected a mineral woody with Ukraine appears to person diminished, helium has turned his involvement to a caller concern venture, U.S. "ownership" of Kyiv’s "electrical proviso and atomic powerfulness plants."

"American ownership of those plants would beryllium the champion extortion for that infrastructure and enactment for Ukrainian vigor infrastructure," a associated connection released by Rubio and Waltz said aft Trump’s telephone telephone Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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When asked by Fox News Digital however Putin, who has made his involvement successful the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works clear, volition respond to Trump’s caller ambitions, Rebekah Koffler, a erstwhile DIA quality officer and writer of "Putin’s Playbook," said she does not deliberation it volition spell implicit well. 

"Putin astir surely is not successful favour of this thought and volition effort to sabotage specified a deal," said Koffler, who briefed NATO officials of Putin’s ambitions successful Ukraine years earlier the 2022 invasion. "Moreover, Zelenskyy is improbable to motion disconnected connected specified a woody also.

"Zelenskyy would apt hold to cede power of the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works to the U.S., which is presently nether Russian control. The Russians volition not voluntarily springiness up power of Zaporizhzhia. If idiosyncratic tries to instrumentality it implicit by force, they volition combat to the bitter end."

An infographic created successful Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 12, 2024.  (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)

It is unclear erstwhile Trump’s involvement successful acquiring Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure began, though it appears to necktie into his erstwhile assertions that Ukraine volition beryllium amended protected if it has American workers and businesses operating wrong its borders. 

The ground of this statement has been debated due to the fact that determination were, and remain, American companies operating successful Ukraine during Russia’s invasion. The statement contributed to an Oval Office blowup betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy past month. 

Koffler said Putin could presumption a U.S. takeover of Kyiv’s 4 atomic powerfulness plants arsenic a "backdoor way" for the U.S. to widen immoderate information guarantees for Ukraine and a "clever mode of controlling Ukraine’s atomic capability, which the Russians judge tin beryllium militarized."

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"It would beryllium viewed arsenic a menace to Russia," Koffler said.

When asked however U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure could impact negotiations, erstwhile CIA Moscow presumption main Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital helium is not convinced it volition person overmuch of an effect connected really securing peace. 

"Show maine the deal. We don't person a woody yet. We person a ceasefire that's been breached connected vigor infrastructure," Hoffman pointed out. He noted that adjacent aft Putin agreed to halt attacking Ukraine’s infrastructure connected Tuesday, the pursuing greeting a drone onslaught deed a railway powerfulness strategy successful the Dnipropetrovsk region, which led to civilian powerfulness outages. 

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin connected the archetypal time of the G20 acme successful Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

"It's conscionable different treatment point. There are truthful galore different issues that are of acold greater importance. What Putin would astir apt bash for his negotiating strategy is to say, ‘Oh, yeah, I'll fto you bash that United States of America, but I privation this successful return’. It's ever going to beryllium that way," Hoffman added, reflecting connected his ain negotiations with Russian counterparts during his clip with the CIA.

"He wants Ukraine. He wants to topple the government. That's his objective," Hoffman added. "Whatever deals helium agrees to successful the abbreviated term, what helium truly wants to bash is destruct Ukraine's quality to deter Russia successful the aboriginal and to springiness Russia maximum advantage. 

"Right now, helium tin summation done dialog what helium can't summation connected the battlefield." 

While a fig of issues volition beryllium discussed, the erstwhile CIA Moscow presumption main said the existent cardinal successful accomplishing immoderate benignant of ceasefire volition request to beryllium an authentic awesome from Putin that helium really wants the warfare to end.

"The large question that John Ratcliffe has to reply is explicate to maine wherefore Putin wants a ceasefire. I would reason helium doesn't," Hoffman said successful notation to the manager of the CIA. "There is zero denotation that helium wants one.

Ukrainian servicemen occurrence with a French self-propelled 155 mm/52-caliber weapon Caesar toward Russian positions astatine a beforehand enactment successful the eastbound Ukrainian portion of Donbas June 15, 2022. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)

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"If helium wanted to halt the warfare and halt the sidesplitting of his ain radical and halt spilling truthful overmuch humor and treasure, helium would person stopped it," Hoffman argued.

Ultimately, Hoffman said, erstwhile looking astatine however astir large wars person concluded, past suggests the warfare successful Ukraine tin lone genuinely extremity connected the battlefield.

"One broadside loses, 1 broadside wins, oregon some sides don't person the means to combat anymore," Hoffman said. "That's however the wars end."