US officials preparing for a meeting with Russian delegation on Saudi Arabia on Sunday have been raised questions about how the Trump administration can extend a preliminary ceasefire in Moscow.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to temporarily suspend strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including the Zaporidia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz said they both would travel to Jeddah for negotiations, saying the next step would be to secure a ceasefire in the Black Sea.
Military leaders meet in the “Aspiring 'Aspiring' Plan” of British France for Ukraine
From left: US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Faisal bin Fahan, Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Mosad bin Mohammad al-Ivan, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibiha, President of Ukraine (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)
Moscow had previously agreed to a similar transaction mediated by Türkiye and the United Nations in 2022. This was known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which sought to secure exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to manage global prices, but Putin came out of the agreement in 2023.
Security experts aren't sure Putin is reliable this time.
However, there is clearly another issue with the negotiation table in the Middle East, the nuclear power of Ukraine.
As the president began focusing on mineral contracts with Ukraine, he changed his interest in the US “ownership” of Kiev's “electricity supply and nuclear power plants.”
“American ownership of these plants will be the best protection for the infrastructure and support of Ukraine's energy infrastructure,” a joint statement released by Rubio and Waltz after Trump's call with Ukraine's Voldimi Zelensky on Wednesday.
Trump holds “very good” call with Zelenskyy following his deal with Putin
When asked by Fox News Digital how President Putin, who is interested in Zaporizhzhia's nuclear power plant, responded to Trump's new ambition, Rebekah Koffler, former DIA Intelligence officer and author of “Putin's Playbook,” she said she didn't think it would work.
“President Putin almost certainly doesn't support the idea and will try to block such a deal,” said Koffler, who explained to NATO officials about Ukrainian President Putin's ambitions several years before the 2022 invasion. “And more, Zelenskyy is unlikely to sign off on such transactions.
“Zelenskyy will agree to transfer control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control. The Russians will not voluntarily give up control of Zaporizhzhia.
Infographic created in Ankara, Turkey, August 12, 2024. (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It is unclear when Trump's interest in acquiring Ukrainian energy infrastructure began, but it appears to be linked to his previous claim that Ukraine will be better protected if American workers and businesses operate within the borders.
The basis for this argument is debated because it remains. Operated by the American company In Ukraine during the Russian invasion. This debate helped the explosion of the oval office between Trump and Zelensky last month.
Koffler said Putin could view the acquisition of Kiev's four nuclear power plants as a “backdoorway” for the US to expand Ukraine's security guarantees.
What will be next for Russia, and will there be a ceasefire talks in Ukraine?
“It would be seen as a threat to Russia,” Koffler said.
When asked how US ownership of Ukraine's energy infrastructure would affect negotiations, former CIA Moscow Director Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital that he was not sure it would have many impacts on actually ensuring peace.
“Show me the deal. There's no deal yet. There's a broken ceasefire in the energy infrastructure,” pointed out Hoffman. He noted that the drone strike was hit the following morning, even after Putin agreed to halt Ukrainian infrastructure attacks on Tuesday. Railway Power System In the Dnipropetrovsk area, this led to private power outages.
President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the first day of the G20 Summit held in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
“That's just another point of discussion. A lot of other issues are very important. Putin probably says, “Oh, I'll let you do the United States, but I'd like this in return for that.”
“He wants Ukraine. He wants to take over the government. That's his purpose,” Hoffman added. “Even if he agrees in the short term, what he really wants to do is to stop Russia in the future and destroy Ukraine's ability to give Russia the greatest advantage.
“Now he can get through negotiation what he can't get on the battlefield.”
Many issues are discussed, but the former CIA Moscow director said that the real key to achieving all sorts of ceasefires must be a real signal from Putin, who he actually wants to end the war.
“The big question that John Ratcliffe has to answer is to explain to me why Putin wants a ceasefire. “There are no indications that he wants that.
On June 15, 2022, a Ukrainian military officer flew fired along with French self-promoted 155 mm/52 caliber gun Caesar towards Russia's position at the forefront of the eastern region of Donbas. (Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images)
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“If he wanted to stop the war, stop the murder of his people and stop spilling so much blood and treasure, he would have stopped it,” Hoffman insisted.
Ultimately, Hoffman said that looking at how most major wars were concluded, history suggests that wars in Ukraine can actually end on the battlefield.
“One side loses, one side wins, and both sides have no way to fight anymore,” Hoffman said. “That's the end of the war.”
