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ENB Pub Note: Alexandra Sharp has interesting points on the Zelensky / President Trump conversation on the cease-fire. Secretary Chris Wright said on Fox News last night that the US could run the Ukrainian nuclear plant without US troops boots on the ground. While this is an interesting twist, having the US own the electric grid and power plants, I am not sure this is a great way forward. A working nuclear plant is a money cash cow, while one in disrepair may be a money pit. Still, having some assets come out of the negotiations that we would own is not a bad thing and potentially could end the war. Since it is rumored that Zelensky has offered the mineral rights to the UK and EU besides the US, it seems like he may have oversold the value of the minerals, and that side of the equation may be worthless. I would hope for the Ukrainian’s and Russians’ sake that the war ends, the killing stops, and new elections take place, as it appears that Zelensky is compromised through corruption. Just look at his ski resort in France, his 20 million dollar home in Flordia, and his wife’s expensive car.
Targeting Energy
Barely an hour after Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow would immediately cease all strikes on Ukrainian “energy and infrastructure” for 30 days, Kyiv accused the Kremlin of carrying out new attacks on these exact locations.
“Putin’s words are very different from reality,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, adding that Russian forces launched 150 drones overnight that hit energy infrastructure, transport, and two hospitals. In response, Moscow accused Kyiv of targeting an energy facility in Russia’s Krasnodar region as well as launching 57 drones over the Azov Sea and several Russian provinces.
“We’ve seen that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not eased at all in the first night after this supposedly groundbreaking, great phone call” between Putin and Trump, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “Putin is playing a game here.”
Trump had an hourlong phone call with Zelensky on Wednesday to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs,” the U.S. president wrote on Truth Social. According to a White House readout, the two leaders discussed a partial cease-fire on energy, with the potential of expanding it to the Black Sea; ways for Europe to provide Kyiv with additional air defense systems; and the return of prisoners of war and Ukrainian children taken by Russian forces. The latter point is particularly notable following reports that the Trump administration last month terminated a U.S.-funded initiative tracking alleged Russian war crimes, including its mass abduction of Ukrainian children.
During the call, Trump also suggested that the United States take ownership of Ukraine’s electrical supply and nuclear power plants. “American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure,” the readout said. Ukrainian officials told the New York Times on Tuesday that this may be related to negotiations on a U.S.-Ukraine critical minerals deal.
U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday for further peace talks. Putin maintains that a full cease-fire is contingent on Ukraine not being allowed to rearm its forces and a complete stop on all foreign military aid and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv. “What Russia wants is that Ukraine will let all the guards down,” European Union foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday. “If they achieve that ‘no military aid to Ukraine,’ then they are free to continue, because the Ukrainians can’t defend themselves.”
Zelensky, meanwhile, has listed several red lines for accepting a peace deal, including promises to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence; tangible security guarantees; the exchange of prisoners; Ukrainian control over Russian-occupied territories, such as Crimea and parts of the Donbas region; and no Russian say on the future of Ukraine’s military.
“If the Russians don’t hit our facilities, we definitely won’t hit theirs,” Zelensky said.
Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of continuing attacks on energy infrastructure.
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