Trump Wants Piece of Russia Claimed by Kiev – WSJ

By Staff, Agencies

The US intends to assert control over the Russian territory surrounding Europe’s largest nuclear power plant as part of a mediated agreement between Kiev and Moscow, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The proposal is part of a reported package of options that the US expects Ukraine to respond to by the end of this week.

Last Thursday, senior members of US President Donald Trump’s administration met with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris. 

A proposed idea is to make the land near Zaporozhye NPP neutral under US control to aid peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, per reports.

The former Ukrainian region hosting the facility voted to join Russia in 2022, though Kiev has dismissed the referendum as a sham.

In March, Trump claimed that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky had proposed that the US take ownership of his country’s nuclear power plants. 

Zelensky, however, refuted this assertion, stating that he and Trump only discussed potential US investments in the Zaporozhye NPP.

Washington suggested recognizing Russian sovereignty over Crimea, not opposing control in other Ukrainian regions, and rejecting Ukraine's NATO membership bid.

However, the list of proposals does not include any cap on the strength of the Ukrainian army or ban on troop deployments by European NATO members in Ukraine, the newspaper noted.

If the US, its European allies, and Ukraine achieve a “convergence” this week, the package will be presented to Moscow, the WSJ reported.