Zelenskyy, UN chief discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Gaza peace initiative

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on a range of issues Tuesday, including a planned UN resolution on Ukrainian children taken to Russia, the crisis at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace proposal.

“We discussed the Summit of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children and the resolution Ukraine is preparing for the General Assembly. We count on the world’s support for the need to return all Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.

He added that Ukraine will present the draft resolution this year and is working with other countries to secure backing.

Zelenskyy also warned about risks at the Zaporizhzhia plant, saying it had faced its longest blackout — seven days without power — due to Russian shelling.

“It is important that the world is aware of the potential consequences. We count on an appropriate response,” he said.

On the Middle East, Zelenskyy said they discussed Gaza and Trump’s ceasefire initiative. “This is a strong initiative, and we are ready to contribute to make the peace proposals work,” he said.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian control since 2022, with repeated outages sparking international concern. Trump’s Gaza plan calls for a ceasefire, hostage releases, Israeli troop withdrawal, and humanitarian aid access.

Kyiv has accused Russia of abducting tens of thousands of Ukrainian children since the start of the Ukraine war in early 2022. Moscow has denied the claims, saying children were evacuated from conflict zones for their safety.