Russia and US discuss access to Black Sea and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

As part of the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, discussions include an agreement on the Black Sea and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which came under Russian control in the fall of 2022, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff said in an interview with CBS News.

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Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

Witkoff Mentions Potential Black Sea Agreement

When asked about the details of a peace agreement, Witkoff said that there were many issues under discussion.

"There are regions that we all know the Russians are focused on. There is a nuclear reactor that supplies quite a bit of electricity to Ukraine. That's got to be dealt with. There's access to ports. There's the Black Sea potential agreement," Steve Witkoff said.

He also noted that the dialogue between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was a positive sign. 

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will talk on the phone on March 18, Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov confirmed.

Details

On 4 March 2022, a military engagement took place between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the city of Enerhodar in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on the southern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Enerhodar is the location of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which generates nearly half of the country's electricity derived from nuclear power and more than a fifth of total electricity generated in Ukraine, as well as a nearby thermal power station. After attacking protesting civilians on March 3, Russian forces engaged Ukrainian forces at the nuclear power plant and took control of it, seizing Enerhodar the same day.