A US entity could take over management of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and divide its electricity between Ukraine and Russia, under one idea US and Russian officials have weighed, according to an FT story published October 27, 2026. Making the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant US-managed is not a new thought: versions of it have surfaced in White House statements and peace drafts since March 2025, and Kyiv has rejected some of them.
Where it stands: No deal on the plant had surfaced by October 28. The FT’s US official said economic deals would be “subject to a comprehensive peace framework” and that “nothing is finalised.” Peskov, speaking for the Kremlin, did not respond to the paper, and Dmitriev’s spokesperson declined comment. The FT is the only outlet to have reported the management idea as of October 28. In the most recent status report found, from early September 2026, the plant was back on outside power, after almost three weeks on emergency generators.
What did the FT report about the nuclear plant?
The FT’s sentence reads: “Another potential idea would transfer the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine to a US entity that would split the energy between Ukraine and Russia.”
It named no company and gave no share for each side. It also said these ideas were discussed “without direct Ukrainian or European participation,” which matters here because the plant sits on Ukrainian territory. The other proposals are listed in our guide to the FT report.
Is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant US-management idea new?
No. US-linked ideas for the plant have surfaced at least three times since early 2025, each in a different form.
| When | Idea | Power split |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2025 | White House: US “ownership” of Ukraine’s plants | Not stated |
| Nov 2025 | 28-point draft: restart under IAEA watch | 50-50 Russia-Ukraine |
| Dec 2025 | US option per Zelensky: three-way venture, US as chief manager | 33-33-33 |
| Dec 2025 | Kyiv counter: US-Ukraine venture | 50% Ukraine, 50% US decides |
| Oct 2026 | FT: US entity manages plant | Split Ukraine-Russia, shares not given |
March 2025: ownership. After a Trump-Zelensky call, the White House said Trump told Zelensky the US “could be very helpful in running those plants” and that “American ownership of those plants would be the best protection” for Ukrainian energy infrastructure. AP’s rendering used “could be” instead of “would be.” Zelensky said afterward that the two men “spoke exclusively about one station that is under temporary occupation by Russia,” The Hill reported.
November 2025: a 50-50 split. Point 19 of the 28-point peace draft obtained by Reuters said the plant “will be restarted under supervision of the IAEA,” with power shared equally between Russia and Ukraine. The same draft froze the Zaporizhzhia front line, which, the Kyiv Post noted, would leave the plant “under Russian military control if peace is signed.” Our look at the 28-point plan’s business provisions has more.
December 2025: thirds. Zelensky said US negotiators had proposed a “’33%-33%-33%’ option,” with Americans as chief manager, Ukrinform reported. He called it unrealistic and asked: “How can there be joint business with the Russians after everything?”
What does Ukraine say about US management?
Kyiv is open to a US role but not to sharing the plant with Moscow. Its counter-offer in December 2025 was a 50-50 US-Ukrainian venture, under which “50% of the electricity produced goes to Ukraine, while as for the other 50%, the U.S. independently determines its distribution.”
Zelensky set conditions: the destroyed dam upstream must be rebuilt, since without it, he said, the plant cannot run normally, and “the territory of the plant must be demilitarized.” On ownership, Reuters reported that “almost all countries consider that it belongs to Ukraine.”
What does Russia say about the plant?
Moscow says the plant is Russian and intends to run it. The New York Times reported in January 2026 that control of the plant was within the “10 percent still in dispute” in peace talks, and that “Russia has made it clear it will not relinquish control of the plant.”
Putin said in December 2025 that the US and Russia were discussing joint control of the plant without Ukraine, the Kyiv Post reported, relaying an account in the Russian newspaper Kommersant. He also claimed, per the same report, that Washington was interested in using the plant’s power for cryptocurrency mining.
📨 Get Free Accountability Coverage Alerts
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Russia has also moved ahead on paper. Its nuclear regulator licensed Unit 1 in December 2025 and Unit 2 in February 2026, World Nuclear News reported. In March 2026, Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev told Reuters that Rosatom would operate the plant but that “commercial aspects can be viewed multilaterally,” adding that power could be supplied “including to Ukraine.”
What is the plant, and what state is it in?
It is Europe’s largest nuclear plant: six Soviet-designed reactors on the Dnipro River, all shut down. Capacity is about 6 gigawatts by Likhachev’s count, or 5.7 gigawatts per an IAEA database cited by Reuters. Before the war it supplied roughly 20% of Ukraine’s electricity, the Kyiv Post reported.
Russian forces seized it in early March 2022, and its last reactor stopped generating that September. Four of the six reactors had switched to fuel from the US company Westinghouse, Reuters reported.
The UN nuclear watchdog has urged caution on any restart. After talks with Likhachev in June 2025, the IAEA’s Rafael Grossi said there was a “common view” that restarting in the current military situation would be inadvisable, World Nuclear News reported. The plant’s grid link has repeatedly failed; in the latest episode found, its sole remaining power line was lost to military activity on August 20, and outside power returned only after “an outage lasting almost three weeks.” For where peace talks go next, see our report on the planned Abu Dhabi round.
Through that outage the plant ran on emergency diesel generators, with fuel reserves dwindling, until Ukrainian technicians repaired the line under the seventh local ceasefire the IAEA had brokered in the war.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the US take over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant?
No deal exists. Handing the plant to a US manager appears in the Financial Times account of October 27, 2026 only as a discussed option, and the paper’s US source said none of the economic ideas were final.
Who controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant now?
Russian forces have held the plant since early March 2022, and a unit of Russia’s Rosatom runs it. Almost all countries consider it Ukrainian property, Reuters reported.
What did the 28-point peace plan say about Zaporizhzhia?
The draft published by Reuters in November 2025 said the plant would restart under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, with its power split 50-50 between Russia and Ukraine.
What does Ukraine want for the plant?
In December 2025 Zelensky called a three-way US-Russia-Ukraine operation unrealistic and proposed instead a 50-50 US-Ukrainian enterprise, with the site demilitarized and the destroyed dam rebuilt first.
Is the Zaporizhzhia plant producing electricity?
No. Its last reactor stopped producing power in September 2022 and all six are in cold shutdown, according to Reuters, citing the plant’s Russian management.
Sources
- Washington discusses Russian deals for US oil majors in Ukraine peace talks — Financial Times, October 27, 2026
- Statement from Secretary Rubio and NSA Waltz on Call with Zelenskyy — The White House, March 19, 2025
- Trump suggests to Zelenskyy that U.S. take ownership of Ukrainian power plants for security — AP (via PBS NewsHour), March 19, 2025
- Zelensky describes exchange with Trump on nuclear power plant ‘ownership’ — The Hill (via Yahoo News), March 2025
- Draft of U.S.-backed peace proposal for Ukraine — Reuters (via The Star), November 21, 2025
- Putin Says US, Russia Discuss Managing Zaporizhzhia NPP, Using Its Power for Crypto Mining — Kyiv Post, December 25, 2025
- Zelensky: Americans propose ZNPP be jointly operated by Ukraine, US, Russia — Ukrinform, December 2025
- A nuclear plant remains a potent sticking point in the Ukraine peace plan — The Boston Globe (New York Times), January 2, 2026
- What lies ahead for Ukraine’s contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant? — Reuters (via The Business Standard), December 2025
- Russia says it could sell power to Kyiv from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant — Reuters (via Yahoo News), March 13, 2026
- Russian regulator issues operating licence for second Zaporizhzhia unit — World Nuclear News, February 19, 2026
- Zaporizhzhia reconnected to external power after 18 days — World Nuclear News, September 8, 2026
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.