Trump-Zelenskyy call: Trump proposes running Ukrainian nuclear power plants

The leaders of the U.S. and Ukraine held phone talks about moving towards a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, with Trump suggesting that Washington could control Ukraine's power plants for security purposes.

Our Choi Soo-hyung reports.

U.S. President Trump and Ukraine's President Zelenskyy have had a direct phone call to talk about a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

On Wednesday local time, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the call "to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs" lasted about an hour and went smoothly.

Trump said Zelenskyy also agreed on a partial ceasefire for energy and infrastructure facilities.

During the call, Trump suggested that the U.S. could help with nuclear power plant operations using its expertise in the energy sector.

"He said that 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."

The White House added that the U.S. will continue to provide intelligence resources to Ukraine to end the war.

This means that Trump rejected Putin's demand to stop military support and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

"They reviewed the situation in Kursk and agreed to share information closely between their defense staffs as the battlefield situation evolved."

President Zelenskyy also reportedly requested additional air defense systems, including the Patriot missile system and Trump said he would work to find available systems in Europe to support Ukraine.

Trump also promised to help ensure that children who were kidnapped or went missing during the war could return to Ukraine.

Regarding the partial deal on Tuesday, after the call with Putin, the White House stated that the U.S. position supports a ceasefire for "energy and infrastructure," not just energy infrastructure, as Russia claims.

The U.S. will continue negotiations with Russia for a wider ceasefire deal in meetings in Saudi Arabia in the end of this week.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.