Europe’s biggest nuclear plant at stake: Russia, Ukraine agree to ‘localised ceasefire’ for repairs at Zaporizhzhia

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary localised ceasefire on Friday (Jan 17), allowing repairs on the last remaining backup power line at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. The line was damaged and disconnected due to military activity earlier this month. The UN nuclear watchdog said in a statement that the repair work on the line should start “in the coming days.”

“This temporary ceasefire, the fourth we have negotiated, demonstrates the indispensable role that we continue to play,” said IAEA director general Rafael Grossi. The Vienna-based agency added that its team heard “a large number of explosions, including some within the vicinity of the site.”

“The team... has reported multiple air raid alarms each day over the past week and were informed that a military flying object had been observed approximately 10 kilometres (six miles) from the site,” it added.

Zaporizhzhia, the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe, was occupied by Russian forces in March 2022. It is located on the Dnieper River and had its six reactors shut down since the occupation. Although the site still requires electricity to maintain its cooling and security systems.

Meanwhile, Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe by attacking the site.

Ukraine talks

Ukrainian officials are set to hold talks with US counterparts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The delegation from Kyiv includes Rustem Umerov, the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council; Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office; and David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.

Kyiv Independent reported, citing a White House official, that the representatives from Ukraine will meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

This comes after US President Donald Trump accused Zelensky of stalling the peace talks, despite the progress made on a 20-point peace plan. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader said that a deal between Kyiv and Washington on the war in his country could be signed at Davos next week if terms are agreed.