Ukraine to Discuss Nuclear Plant With Russia, Zelenskiy Says
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he tasked his country’s negotiators to discuss the future of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian forces seized early in the full-scale invasion, during peace talks in Geneva.
The Ukrainian leader also said the third round of the US-brokered talks with Russia would cover the monitoring of any ceasefire if and when one was agreed to, as well as the issue of Moscow’s territorial demands.
“The Russians were supposed to return with their view on” territories and “whether they’re ready for any compromises,” Zelenskiy said in an interview on Tuesday.
The sides are set to address a wider range of issues than two previous rounds of meetings in Abu Dhabi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to the Interfax news agency. Those talks addressed military parameters for any potential ceasefire in the war that marks its fourth year this month, but made no visible progress toward a halt in hostilities.
The discussions wrapped up for the day, but are planned to continue on Wednesday, according to an aide to Ukraine’s lead negotiator. They are happening on five different tracks, including territory, military, political and economic matters, the state-run Tass news agency reported earlier.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine hand over territory in its eastern Donetsk region that Moscow has failed to conquer in fighting dating back to 2014. The US is proposing to establish a free economic zone in the area along with overall security guarantees for Ukraine against any future Russian attack.
Zelenskiy last week said that neither side was “keen” on the idea of a free economic zone, but that both sides would return to talks with their views.
In addition to territory, the fate of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant remains one of the most sensitive unresolved issues. US officials previously said the sharing of power produced by the plant would be a critical part of any agreement reached.
Kyiv’s delegation is headed by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who earlier said on Telegram that security and humanitarian issues were on the agenda.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading Moscow’s delegation at the talks. Medinsky headed Russia’s delegation at negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July last year. He was also part of the Russian team that held peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Istanbul weeks after the start of the February 2022 invasion.
Medinsky didn’t participate in earlier rounds of talks this year.
“Russia slightly changed the negotiation team, which was a surprise for us,” Zelenskiy said, adding that Kyiv would see how the talks go given the change.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, attended previous talks and are also in Geneva. They participated in separate negotiations with Iranian officials on Tuesday morning.
The Russian side will include the head of military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov, who led its delegation in the United Arab Emirates, Peskov said.
Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev is also in Geneva to take part in discussions on economic cooperation with the US, but won’t be part of the delegation participating in the trilateral negotiations with Ukraine, the Interfax news service reported last week.
The intensity of attacks has risen sharply on both sides this month, even as the US-led diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal have advanced.
In the week before the talks, Russia launched about 1,300 strike drones, more than 1,200 guided aerial bombs and 50 missiles over Ukraine, hitting energy and other civil infrastructure, Zelenskiy said Sunday on social media.
Russia on Tuesday reported a drone attack that set ablaze oil refinery infrastructure on the Black Sea, while Ukraine said Russian forces struck the port city of Odesa and elsewhere.
–With assistance from Olesia Safronova.
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