How Trump’s diplomacy resembles a game of broken telephone

Karoline Leavittpress secretary

He said that the United States could be very helpful in running those plants with its US electricity and utility expertise,

said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt

If the Americans want to take the station from the Russians and they want to invest there and modernise it, that is a completely different issue,

he said

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

I don’t want there to be a different understanding of what the parties will agree on,

Zelensky said

Keith Kellogggeneral

There are going to be proximity discussions meaning one group’s going to be in this room, one group in this room and they’ll sit and talk go back and forth sort of like shuttle diplomacy in a hotel,

said General Keith Kellogg, the Trump envoy to Ukraine

The west believed that nonsense and that’s great,

said Mikhail Zvinchuk, a popular Russian military blogger and propagandist, during an online stream

I don’t think that in this situation [the Russians] will resort to deliberately damaging the station’s parts, because the station is a subject of negotiations and haggling,

a former engineer who fled the plant in 2023, but still maintains ties with former colleagues, told Al Jazeera

The better its condition is the higher is the price they will get when they’re swapping it for something – if they’re swapping it,

the engineer said on condition of anonymity

They get crazy kickbacks. This is a team of marauders,

Olga Kosharna, a nuclear safety expert, told Al Jazeera in 2021

For three months, I couldn’t get up, I could barely eat,

one of the workers, 69-year-old Volodymyr Robovyk, told Al Jazeera earlier this month, describing the health consequences he suffered

Of course, there is such danger,

Ihor Romanenko, who served as deputy head of Ukraine’s general staff of armed forces, told Al Jazeera

We’re doing very well with regard to Ukraine and Russia. And one of the things we are doing is signing a deal very shortly with respect to rare earths with Ukraine,

he said during an event at the White House

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

We need funds for artillery shells and would really appreciate Europe’s support with at least €5bn ($5.42bn) as soon as possible,

Zelenskyy told them

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

President Trump asked me: ‘what you think about this station?’

Zelensky told reporters

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

I raised this issue with President Trump and said that our side would identify what we consider to be civilian infrastructure,

Mr Zelensky said

I think they appreciate our capability. What is obviously important is that they appreciate that it is what it is, which is a credible capability”.

Of Russia, the prime minister said

The issue with property we definitely did not discuss with Mr Trump.”

But he added

Chris Wright (basketball, born 1989)energy Secretary

But, if it was helpful to achieve that end – have the US run nuclear power plants in Ukraine? No problem. We can do that,

Wright added

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

If you just hand over the station, and a meter away from the station, everything is occupied or there are Russian weapons, no one will work like that,

Zelensky told reporters, raising concerns that the plant could be restored with US and Ukrainian investment, only to have Russia possibly damage or destroy it again later

Volodymyr Zelenskyypresident

I believe that the station will not work under occupation. I believe that the station can be restored to operation,

Zelensky said, also cautioning

There’s no point in trying to rebuild a plant and operate it if it could be jeopardized at any moment,

Lyman said