Trump Proposes the US Should Manage Ukraine's Power Plants

US President Donald Trump described his hour-long phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "very good," which took place a day after his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following the call, Zelensky expressed his belief that "lasting peace can be achieved this year" under Trump's leadership.

The White House confirmed that the potential US ownership of Ukraine's nuclear power plants was discussed, though Zelensky later clarified that this only referred to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia facility.

The tone of the call appeared to differ from Zelensky's visit to the White House last month, during which he and the two leaders—along with US Vice President JD Vance—were involved in a tense exchange.

Wednesday marked the first conversation between the two leaders since their meeting in the Oval Office, although their teams had previously met in Saudi Arabia to negotiate a proposed 30-day ceasefire.

While the proposal was supported by both Ukraine and the US, Putin rejected it during his phone call with the US president on Tuesday.

In his discussion with Trump, Zelensky expressed openness to a partial ceasefire that would halt strikes on energy infrastructure, railways, and port facilities—measures that could be implemented quickly. However, the Ukrainian president cautioned that his country would retaliate if Moscow violated the ceasefire terms.

"I understand that until we agree [with Russia], until there is a corresponding document on even a partial ceasefire, I think that everything will fly," he said, referring to drones and missiles.

Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that the purpose of the call was to align Ukraine and Russia "in terms of their requests and needs," adding that ceasefire efforts were progressing.

In a more detailed follow-up statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Trump had agreed to assist Ukraine in securing additional air defense systems, particularly in Europe.

He also mentioned that the two leaders had "agreed to closely share information between their defense teams as the situation on the battlefield developed."

Rubio's statement also said Trump and Zelensky had discussed "Ukraine's electrical supply and nuclear power plants" with Trump saying "the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise".

"American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure," Rubio's statement added.

Zelensky confirmed that the issue of power plants was discussed, but clarified that only the Zaporizhzhia facility was mentioned.

The developments are likely a relief for Zelensky, who described his conversation with Trump as "positive," "frank," and "very substantive" during an online briefing with journalists on Wednesday.

"We believe that together with America, with President Trump, and under American leadership, lasting peace can be achieved this year," he wrote on X.

During the video call with reporters, Zelensky expressed his belief that Putin would not agree to a full ceasefire as long as Ukrainian troops remained in Russia's western Kursk region, following Kyiv's surprise attack there in August last year.

While both Zelensky and Putin have agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, they have since accused each other of continuing such attacks.

Trump mentioned that Wednesday's call with Zelensky lasted for about an hour.

"Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs," he wrote on Truth Social.

Technical teams from both Ukraine and the US are set to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Last month, at the White House, Trump told Zelensky that he wasn't showing enough gratitude for US military and political support, adding that he was "gambling with World War Three."

Following this, the US briefly suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Yet, diplomatic initiatives facilitated reconciliation, allowing both sides to conclude a ceasefire agreement by March 11.

During a phone call between Putin and Trump on Tuesday, the former agreed to call off the Russian assault on the energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

According to him, full ceasefire would only take place after discontinuing military assistance to Ukraine's benefactors; the same had been rejected by Kyiv's European allies. Mere hours later, both Ukraine and Russia started launching attacks with Kyiv reporting hospitals as targets.

Authorities in southern Russia's Krasnodar region claimed that a minor fire at an oil depot was due to Ukraine drone strikes. Yet with strikes ongoing, both Ukraine and Russia still would exchange the prisoners on Wednesday, with both releasing 175 POWs to the other side. According to Zelensky, the swap was "one of the largest", adding that Russia also brought in another 22 severely wounded soldiers.

In the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, officials claimed that a Ukrainian drone strike had caused a small fire at an oil depot.

Despite the ongoing strikes, Ukraine and Russia completed a prisoner exchange on Wednesday, with each side releasing 175 POWs.

Zelensky called the swap "one of the largest," noting that Russia had also included an additional 22 "severely wounded" soldiers.