SANN News
Donald Trump has offered Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky the possibility of owning and running Ukraine’s nuclear power plants as part of his bid to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. The offer comes as 30 military chiefs from countries keen to help protect an eventual ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine prepare for talks in Britain on Thursday to discuss planning for a peacekeeping force. Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Kyiv was “ready” to pause attacks on Russia’s energy network and infrastructure, a day after Russian leader Vladimir Putin agreed to halt similar strikes on Ukraine.
Trump’s tone on Wednesday was markedly more positive after the Zelensky call, with the White House describing it as “fantastic.” National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington could be “very helpful” in running Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants. They pledged to help Kyiv get more air defense equipment from Europe and to find Ukrainian children “abducted” by Russia.
The US president earlier said on his Truth Social network that efforts to reach a full truce were “very much on track.” Ukrainian and US officials could meet in coming days for fresh talks in Saudi Arabia, where Russian and American teams are also due to meet early next week.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 372 prisoners as a goodwill gesture following the Trump-Putin call. However, Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of continuing attacks. Russia said it destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones in overnight attacks in several regions throughout the country. Ukrainian emergency services said on Thursday that an overnight Russian drone attack struck residential buildings in Kropyvnytsky in central Ukraine, wounding eight people, including a child.
The major sticking point remains Putin’s resistance to a full ceasefire, which Kyiv and some Western allies say underscores how the Russian leader cannot be trusted. Putin insisted during his call with Trump on Tuesday that a full ceasefire was only possible if the West agreed to Moscow’s long-standing demand to halt its billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine. Moscow and Washington were even at odds on the results of the call.
