When asked about Donald Trump's suggestion – made on March 30 and April 9 – that American protection of Ukraine be conditioned to US control of nuclear facilities, Dmytro Orlov, the mayor of Enerhodar, exiled in Zaporizhzhia, chose his words carefully. His town, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, hosts the six reactors of Europe's largest power plant. "We must be careful about what we say, the topic is sensitive," he said. "If it's for security guarantees and to reclaim the plant stolen by Moscow, then yes. But if it's at Ukraine's expense, then no."

The issue is delicate. Beyond the ever-present risk of an accident, Ukrainian nuclear power is central to ongoing negotiations between the United States and Russia regarding the future of the war in Ukraine. The country is caught in a vice. In exchange for its support to Kyiv, the US is using the Russian invasion as leverage to acquire its natural resources, including its power plants. Russia, on the other hand, intends to retain control of Zaporizhzhia to supply electricity to the Ukrainian territories it has annexed in the region. Deprived of the six reactors at Zaporizhzhia, which generated 20% of the country's electricity, Ukraine can currently rely on only eight to nine gigawatts to operate, compared to 20 gigawatts before the war.

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