Trump floats US takeover of Ukraine's nuclear plants amid fears Putin will 'play off' his 'urgency' for peace deal
by Danielle de Wolfe · LBCBy Danielle de Wolfe
Donald Trump has suggested the US take ownership of Ukraine's nuclear power plants in a shock move he says would protect the country against further Russian attacks.
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The unexpected suggestion came during a call between the US President and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, with Trump praising the 'very good' call with Ukraine's leader.
Mr Trump said: “The United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise.”
It comes as former foreign secretary James Cleverly warned that Putin will undoubtedly "play off" President Trump's "urgency" to secure a peace deal.
Speaking exclusively with LBC, the Conservative MP told Ben Kentish that Trump's desire for a "quick" deal "could be problematic because Vladimir Putin, without a doubt, is going to play off that urgency."
"I think Putin is going to try and harvest as much advantage for himself and for Russia out of President Trump's desire to do this quickly. And often you find the more patient negotiator gets the best result," he said.
He also warned that should Putin attempt to humiliate Trump with his evasive tactics, Trump could take a "very different posture".
Watch Again: Ben Kentish is joined by James Cleverly | 19/03/2025
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he had a "positive, very substantive and frank" conversation with Donald Trump in their first encounter since the historic bust-up in the Oval Office.
Zelenskyy said the call began with him thanking the US president for his efforts to bring about a ceasefire.
"One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it," Mr Zelenskyy said.
It comes as Cleverly told LBC that should negotiations lead to Russian rearmament, it would prove to be a "wasted opportunity".
"Ultimately, if this isn't a genuinely lasting peace, if this is just an opportunity for Putin to rearm, to recruit more soldiers, to repair his economy, and then do what he has done a number of times in the past, which is to have another crack at this, then ultimately it'd be a massively wasted opportunity," Cleverly said.
"President Trump, quite understandably, is a man who takes his global image very, very seriously. And he will not want to be tricked or duped or manipulated by Vladimir Putin.
"I think it can be quite interesting if Vladimir Putin tries to overreach, tries to take advantage of President Trump's desire to get some kind of peace agreement overlying quickly. I think you could see President Trump very much turn on Vladimir Putin.
"And if Vladimir Putin embarrasses President Trump or humiliates him on the world stage by undermining an agreement that he's made, I think we could see the President of the United States of America, with all their might, with all their wealth, with all their global authority, take a very, very different posture towards President Trump and to Russian aggression".
Late on Wednesday Trump spoke of his one-hour call with Ukraine's leader, with the White House branding the exchange "fantastic".
"The American side also proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the frontline, and Ukraine accepted this proposal as well," he added, saying work continues to reach this step.
"I also provided an update on the battlefield situation and the consequences of Russian strikes.
"We spoke about the situation in the Kursk region, touched on the issue of the release of PoWs, and the return of Ukrainian children who were taken by Russian forces."
Mr Zelenskyy also said he asked about help for Ukraine's air defence.
He said: "Ukrainian and American teams are ready to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace."Ending his statement, the Ukrainian leader said he "highlighted the importance of President Trump's concept of peace through strength"."We agreed to maintain constant contact, including at the highest level and through our teams."
Mr Trump said he had a "very good call" with Mr Zelenskyy.
President Trump wrote on his Truth Social account following the discussion: "Just completed a very good telephone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. It lasted approximately one hour.
"Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs.
"We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the call between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy as "fantastic" and "productive" as she read out a statement.
It read: "President Trump fully briefed President Zelenskyy on his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the key issues discussed. They reviewed the situation in Kursk and agreed to share information closely between their defence staffs as the battlefield situation evolved.
"President Zelenskyy asked for additional air defence systems to protect his civilians, particularly Patriot missile systems, President Trump agreed to work with him to find what was available particularly in Europe.
"The two leaders also agreed on a partial ceasefire against energy. Technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to the Black Sea on the way to a full ceasefire. They agreed this could be the first step towards the full end of the war and ensuring security.
"President Zelenskyy was grateful for the President’s leadership in this effort and reiterated his willingness to adopt a full ceasefire."President Trump also discussed Ukraine's electrical supply and nuclear power plants. He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise. American ownership of those plants would be the best protection for that infrastructure and support for Ukrainian energy infrastructure."
Earlier this month, it may have been impossible to imagine the two leaders could hold a productive call. Their furious diplomatic row saw the US pause military aid and the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine for a brief period, before the pair seemingly made up.
Meanwhile, Trump has also been making progress with Vladimir Putin, sharing a call the Russian leader on Tuesday night hailed as “historic” by Russia. It saw both sides lay out key steps that could eventually lead to peace.
But just hours after the talks, Russian bombs continued to rain down on Ukraine.
It prompted Mr Zelenskyy to accuse Russia of “effectively rejecting” a ceasefire following the call after Russia agree to a 30 day pause on energy infrastructure.
Mr Zelenskyy said that several civilian and infrastructure facilities were hit overnight, including two hospitals in the eastern town of Sumy.
Drones also rained down on the energy infrastructure of Slovyansk, a city of 100,000 people in the Donetsk region, leaving much of the city without power.
The Ukrainian leader told reporters: "Even this night, after Putin's talk with Trump, when Putin allegedly said he had given the order to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, 150 drones struck energy infrastructure and transport".
He also set out his red lines for a peace deal, telling reporters that he would not accept losing regions that Russia has annexed or claims sovereignty over.
The Ukrainian President also demanded the release of more prisoners and guarantees that war will not restart.
He told reporters on Tuesday: “We need to understand what the conversation is about. What are the details? And hopefully, we will be fully informed, and our partners will discuss everything with us.
”The Ukrainian leader added: “There are two sides in this war — Russia and Ukraine. Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive.”
Mr Zelenskyy stressed that he did not believe Ukraine’s allies would stop providing military aid, one of the key conditions Moscow said was needed for a peace deal.
He added that Moscow is seeking to “weaken” Ukraine by attempting to stop the flow of weapons and intelligence, arguing Putin's proposal shows he is not “ready” to end the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin described the talks with President Trump as a "frank exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine."