{"id":1342348,"date":"2026-01-09T13:09:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T11:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/agreements-on-the-znpp-will-this-become-a-trojan-horse\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T04:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T02:40:20","slug":"agreements-on-the-znpp-will-this-become-a-trojan-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/agreements-on-the-znpp-will-this-become-a-trojan-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"The ZNPP Trap: When \u201cAgreements\u201d Become a Trojan Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Source: Author&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/boris.kusniruk\/posts\/pfbid0p1ufAtuYSaRtMzz6crhZPuUZTvmPveXezJor6CqQFkmgZgGargeXFox5GpRPmkmNl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Facebook<\/a> page<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>One of the most complex and unresolved elements of the proposed \u201cbasic document\u201d on ending the war is the set of agreements surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>I am not an international lawyer, so my considerations are not affirmative, but rather a list of concerns that arise when discussing post-war scenarios for the station&#8217;s operation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"143\" data-end=\"454\">I have previously noted that the key challenge in Ukraine\u2019s post-war recovery will be a shortage of electricity generation capacity. In the event of supply deficits or prohibitively high tariffs, economic recovery will be extraordinarily challenging and will significantly limit Ukraine\u2019s ability to attract investment.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"456\" data-end=\"744\">That is why the Kremlin, guided by strategic as well as tactical considerations, is deliberately targeting Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure. Moscow seeks to exploit Ukraine\u2019s future energy needs as a lever of influence over its economy, business environment, and political decision-making.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"746\" data-end=\"1060\">For the time being, Ukraine is unlikely to be able to liberate Enerhodar by military means. Ukraine legally regards the facility as its sovereign property, while the aggressor has already attempted to declare it \u201cRussian\u201d and place it under the control of Rosatom.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1062\" data-end=\"1494\">The first and most critical issue concerns the plant\u2019s legal status. Under no circumstances should official Kyiv \u2014 directly or indirectly \u2014 recognize the station as Russian or allow ambiguity over ownership. This is not merely a question affecting a single asset. Any such ambiguity would set a dangerous precedent and effectively place a legal landmine under the ownership of all assets seized by the Russian Federation since 2014.<\/p>\n\t\t<aside class=\"shortcode-also\" data-title=\"Read also\" >\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/the-us-proposes-to-divide-the-management-of-the-znpp-between-three-countries-what-is-it-about\/\">The US proposes to divide the management of the ZNPP between three countries: what is it about?<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\n<p data-start=\"145\" data-end=\"351\">Property rights primarily involve the ability to own, manage, and generate profit. This raises obvious questions: where will the revenues from the NPP\u2019s operation go, and to which budget will taxes be paid?<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"353\" data-end=\"586\">At the same time, ownership also entails responsibility for technical condition and nuclear safety. When nuclear reactors are involved, the cost of error is critical not only for the surrounding regions but for the entire continent.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"588\" data-end=\"1240\">It is worth recalling that the power units of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were commissioned nearly 40 years ago. Five of them have already reached the end of their original design life, and the sixth will do so in 2026. Although their operation has been extended until 2026\u20132030 (and may well continue beyond that), the moment of final shutdown is steadily approaching. Who will finance decommissioning? The cost runs into the billions of dollars. Nuclear power carries a fundamental paradox: while the marginal cost of electricity generation is low, capital expenditures at both the beginning and the end of a plant\u2019s life cycle are enormous.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1242\" data-end=\"1548\">Against this backdrop, the current interest shown by American businessmen close to the Trump administration in managing the ZNPP seems to be\u201d an attempt to extract profits \u201chere and now.\u201d The question of who will pay for reactor decommissioning in the future remains unanswered. Clearly, it will not be them.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1550\" data-end=\"1729\">President Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine ultimately does not want to conduct business directly with Russia. The position itself is correct, but it requires greater specificity.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1731\" data-end=\"1906\">Russia has failed\u2014and will fail as a result of this war\u2014to eliminate Ukrainian statehood. Yet, its leadership will not abandon attempts to achieve this objective in the future.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1908\" data-end=\"2304\">The Kremlin\u2019s interest lies in \u201cgetting its foot in the door\u201d through electricity supplies from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. This is an attempt to create loopholes for reviving business ties that could later serve as instruments of corruption and elite capture. Georgia provides a telling example: after the 2008 tragedy, it has once again found itself drawn back into Moscow\u2019s orbit.<\/p>\n\t\t<aside class=\"shortcode-also\" data-title=\"Read also\" data-right>\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/strategic-forks-2026-ukraine-in-trumps-hands\/\">Strategic Forks 2026: Is Ukraine Now Trump\u2019s Leverage?<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\n<p data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"484\">That is why it is critically important to note: until the complete deoccupation of all sovereign Ukrainian territory within its internationally recognized borders, the admission of guilt for armed aggression, and the payment of full compensation, <strong data-start=\"429\" data-end=\"484\">no business should be conducted with the aggressor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"486\" data-end=\"722\">This prohibition should also extend to Belarus, which is de facto complicit in the war. It should remain in effect at least as long as Belarus remains under Russian occupation and until the criminal-authoritarian Lukashenko regime ends.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"724\" data-end=\"878\">That would allow business with Russia to continue, either directly or through Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"880\" data-end=\"1040\">Given these considerations, any attempt to reach a compromise regarding the ZNPP \u201csomewhere in the middle\u201d could have severe long-term consequences for Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1042\" data-end=\"1296\">Ukraine\u2019s position must be unwavering: the plant and its surrounding area must be returned to full Ukrainian state control. If Russia does not agree to this, the issue should be removed from the \u201cbasic agreement,\u201d regardless of current energy challenges.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1298\" data-end=\"1691\">At the same time, Ukraine should pursue compensation in international courts for the seized property. The role of the IAEA warrants particular scrutiny: any consent from the agency regarding ZNPP operations should be legally challenged as legitimizing the plunder and illegal seizure of Ukrainian state property, and criminal proceedings should be initiated against the responsible leadership.<\/p>\n<p>Also, follow <strong>\u201cPryamyi\u201d<\/strong> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pryamiy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/prm_ua\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/+rtV4dxYu2_cyNjVi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Telegram<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/pryamiy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 Materials published in the \u201cOPINIONS\u201d section reflect the opinion of the author of the publication, who bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the information.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 The editorial staff of prm.ua may not share the opinions expressed in the author&#8217;s material.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><em>\u2022 The owner of the webpage in the \u201cOPINIONS\u201d section is the author of the publication.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Source: Author&#8217;s Facebook page One of the most complex and unresolved elements of the proposed \u201cbasic document\u201d on ending the war is the set of agreements surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. I am not an international lawyer, so my considerations are not affirmative, but rather a list of concerns that arise when discussing post-war [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":1342307,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76893,76871,76872],"class_list":["post-1342348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thoughts","category-news-2","category-news-feed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1342348"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1343214,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1342348\/revisions\/1343214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1342307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1342348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1342348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}