During their telephone conversation on Tuesday, March 18, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, limited to energy infrastructure. Earlier, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff hinted that the fate of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Europe's largest, would be under discussion.

This infrastructure located in Enerhodar, in southern Ukraine, has been occupied by Russia, since March 3, 2022. The International Atomic Energy Agency has expressed concern over the matter, stoking fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

The mayor of the occupied town of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlov, in exile in Zaporizhzhia, refused to comment on the Russian-American negotiations. In an interview with Le Monde, however, he discusses the risk of a nuclear catastrophe, stating that Ukrainian employees are still working under the threat of weapons and that equipment has deteriorated.

Before the Russian invasion, 11,000 people worked there. After the occupation, only 2,000 signed an agreement with [the Russian state-owned group] Rosatom, mostly under duress, to continue working there. Some 2,000 Russians were also brought in, despite not having the required qualifications. Several plant employees have also been sentenced to prison terms of between 15 and 20 years. Officially for "treason," but, in reality, because they were pro-Ukrainian.

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