Zelensky ‘stopped civilian infrastructure, limited to nuclear power plants in Russian-occupied territory’ Korean media manipulated the ‘partial ceasefire agreement’
Ukrainian President Zelensky demanded a ‘stop attack on Mindan infrastructure’ in a phone call with U.S. President Trump, and the gap was confirmed when President Trump’s proposal to ‘own nuclear power plants’ was revealed as ‘limited to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied territory,’ but the Korean media manipulated the report into a ‘partial ceasefire agreement.’
The Japanese media said it was a ‘discussion’ between the two sides, and only the White House distinguished it as a ‘partial ceasefire agreement.’
After his phone call with Trump, President Zelensky refuted the Trump White House’s ‘energy ceasefire’ claim on social media, saying, “One of the first steps to ending the war completely is to end attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure.”
AP reported on the 20th, “This was done a day after the US President had a similar meeting with Putin,” and President Zelensky said, “I supported this measure, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it.”
According to a White House statement from Secretary of State Rubio and National Security Adviser Waltz, Trump suggested that President Zelensky consider giving the U.S. ownership of the Ukrainian power plant to ensure its long-term security, while AP said, "But President Zelensky said the conversation focused on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and has been under Russian control since the beginning of the war."
The AP said, "Zelensky said Trump offered the idea of an "understanding" that the U.S. could "restore that plant," while Rubio and Waltz said Trump told Zelensky that the U.S. "could be very helpful in operating the plant with its electricity and utility expertise," confirming the big gap. The New York Times reported on the 19th that “an agreement between President Zelensky and Russian President Putin limited to energy goals would leave a big gap between the two men on how to end the war,” and that “President Zelensky characterized some of the Russian leader’s proposals as delaying maneuvers to maintain military superiority and the best possible deal for the U.S. president.”
After the call with President Trump, President Zelensky said in a press conference in Finland that “everything will continue to move forward,” and that “we will present terms for negotiations until the appropriate documents are available,” describing the negotiations as “ongoing.”
At a press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki, Zelensky added that “as I speak, a Russian drone was in the sky over Ukraine,” and that “if monitoring confirms that ‘the Russians are not attacking our targets,’ we will not attack their targets.”
The New York Times reported that the two sides agreed to accept a Russian proposal to “suspend attacks on energy targets for 30 days as a step toward a broader ceasefire,” adding that “many analysts say the deal will primarily benefit Russia.” While Russian oil refineries have come under increasingly intense long-range (US-backed) attacks from Ukraine, and Russian airstrikes have hit Ukraine’s energy supplies hard, Ukraine has learned to adapt after three years of war and will be far less reliant on heating in the coming weeks than it was in the winter, which is a big reason why the blow has been reduced.
The New York Times reported that Trump-Putin “rejected Trump’s initial proposal for a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire covering land, sea and air, and Ukraine, under pressure from Trump, agreed to the idea in early March at a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia despite deep concerns in Kiev about negotiating with Putin.” “But Putin repeatedly objected to the idea, dismissing it as a “narrow plan to protect energy sites.”
Trump’s national security adviser Michael Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an unusual “joint statement” after their previous meeting, saying that technical teams would meet in Saudi Arabia “in the coming days” to discuss expanding the ceasefire on energy facilities to include activities in the Black Sea.
The statement did not specify whether Ukraine was participating in the U.S.-Russia negotiations, and avoided asking “who” Ukraine was negotiating with in the Saudi negotiations.
The AP reported that <the White House also confirmed that technical experts from the United States, Ukraine and Russia will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss implementing a partial ceasefire>, but <it was not immediately clear whether the United States would meet with Ukrainian and Russian officials together or separately>.
Reuters reported that <Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said another meeting between Russian and U.S. officials aimed at a permanent ceasefire and an end to the war would be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, but it was unclear whether Ukraine would participate in the meeting>, and <President Zelensky said Ukrainian and U.S. officials could meet in Saudi Arabia on Friday, Saturday or Sunday to discuss technical details>.
At a news conference in Finland, Zelensky responded to reporters' question about the "nuclear power plant" by saying, "That question was entirely about the station under temporary occupation," suggesting that Trump's idea was limited to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, which is currently under Russian control.
However, the statement from Senators Rubio and Walz mentioned “Ukraine’s power supply and nuclear power plants,” and said that the United States “could be very helpful in operating the plants with its expertise in electricity and utilities.”
The joint statement from Walz and Rubio went on to say that “American ownership of those plants would be the best support and protection for Ukraine’s infrastructure,” and the Times diagnosed that “the idea of the United States owning Ukraine’s electric and nuclear facilities could create numerous difficulties, and the two sides did not seem to agree on what the plants in question were.”
Ukrainian nuclear expert Olga Kosharna told the Times that “these plants cannot be privatized under Ukrainian law.”
The Times, which also said that other nuclear experts were skeptical of the plan, criticized the “transfer of ownership” by saying that “American involvement could help improve the management of the plants.”
The AP reported on the 19th under the headline, “Zelensky and Putin Agree to Limited Ceasefire, but Implementation Now in Progress,” that “The White House said ‘energy and infrastructure’ would be covered, the Kremlin said the deal referred more narrowly to ‘energy infrastructure,’ and Zelensky said he wanted to protect ‘railways and ports,’ making it immediately clear that the three parties had different views on what the deal entails.”
The AP said, “Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after President Trump spoke with the leaders of the countries this week, but it remains to be seen when it will take effect and what possible targets will be subject to a no-strike ban.”
The interim agreement, which seeks to partially curb the tedious war, came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected Trump’s push for a 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty of getting the combatants to agree not to target each other’s energy infrastructure underscores the challenge Trump will face in fulfilling his campaign promise to end the war quickly.” The AP said, “Trump It was reported as ‘Confirmation of difficulties in fulfilling election promises.’
Reuters reported on the 20th that <Ukrainian President Zelensky said, “This list can include not only energy, but also railway and port infrastructure,” a day after Russian President Putin spoke with President Trump and agreed to stop attacks on energy infrastructure> and <“Until we reach an agreement (with Russia), until the corresponding document on a partial ceasefire comes out, I think everything will fly,” he said, referring to drones and missiles>.
As President Zelensky’s online briefing with reporters was coming to an end, Ukrainian authorities reported a large-scale drone attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kropyvnytskyi, posting footage on social media showing a large fire and damage to an apartment building.
Reuters reported that “officials said the attack also damaged railway infrastructure, and the local governor said some injuries were reported.”
Asked during the briefing with reporters if he still wanted Trump to visit Ukraine, President Zelensky said, “Yes,” and added, “I believe it will help the U.S. president in his efforts to stop the war.” Reuters reported that <President Zelensky said that he and President Trump only discussed the massive Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russia, in their phone call> and <He told Trump that Kiev is ready to discuss U.S. involvement in modernization and investment if the plant (Zaporizhia) is returned to Ukraine>.
President Zelensky then told reporters that he believed that President Putin would not agree to a complete ceasefire while Ukrainian troops remain in the Kursk region in western Russia, indicating the possibility of a ‘failure of a ceasefire agreement.’
Yonhap News reported on the 20th under the title <Zelensky: ‘Agreement to prepare for partial ceasefire working-level talks with Trump’> that <The partial ceasefire mentioned by President Zelensky refers to the agreement reached the day before between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call to halt attacks on energy infrastructure facilities between Russia and Ukraine for 30 days>.
MBC reported on the 20th under the title <Trump-Zelensky Phone Call... "In favor of a 30-day partial ceasefire"> that the anchor said, <Following his conversation with Russian President Putin yesterday, US President Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky and explained the 30-day partial ceasefire> and <With President Zelensky expressing his support, the US and Ukraine have decided to immediately begin working-level talks to implement the ceasefire>.
The Washington correspondent continued by saying, <The US has also decided to hold working-level talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia, which seems to indicate its intention to mediate between the two sides and lead ceasefire negotiations at the same location>.
The Chosun Ilbo reported on Zelensky's press conference in Finland under the title, "Zelensky: 'I agree with halting attacks on energy infrastructure for now... Need to talk to Trump'", and on the 20th, "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed his 'agreement' with the 30-day halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, etc. agreed upon in a phone call (Trump-Putin) on the 18th. However, he said that he needed to receive and confirm detailed information through the United States, and that he needed to talk to Trump."
Reuters reported in relation to this, "When asked at the briefing whether he still wanted Trump to visit Ukraine, President Zelensky said yes, and said he believed it would help the U.S. president's efforts to stop the war."
The Yomiuri newspaper titled “Trump and Zelensky agreed to stop attacks on energy facilities. Partial ceasefire is very likely” and distinguished the two sides as “ceasefire discussions” and the White House as “partial ceasefire agreement to stop attacks.”
It quotes the article from the 20th as it is.
<They had a phone call on the 19th and discussed a ceasefire against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the White House, the two leaders agreed to a partial ceasefire to stop attacks on energy facilities.
President Trump agreed to a similar partial ceasefire in a phone call with Russian President Putin on the 18th. Since both Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement, a partial ceasefire is expected to be reached. However, the announcements from the US and Ukraine did not mention when the partial ceasefire would begin.
According to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, President Zelensky confirmed during the meeting that he supported “ending attacks on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure” as “the first step toward a complete end to the war” and that he was “ready to implement it.” A working-level meeting between the U.S. and Ukraine is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to discuss technical issues related to implementing a partial ceasefire and expanding a full ceasefire.
Meanwhile, according to the U.S. side, President Trump proposed that Ukraine have its own nuclear power plant during the meeting that day.
He said, "American ownership is the best protection." It is unclear whether the Ukrainian side agreed.>
KBS reported on the 20th that under the headline <Trump-Zelensky Phone Call… “Sharing Defense Information with Ukraine Continues”>, the anchor said, “Following Russian President Putin, US President Trump also had a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky and agreed to a partial ceasefire,” and the Washington correspondent reported that “The two leaders agreed to a 30-day partial ceasefire for energy facilities, etc.”
YTN reported on the 20th that under the headline <Zelensky Also Agrees to a Partial Truce…Trump Proposes to Own Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant>, the anchor said, “Ukrainian President Zelensky agreed to a ceasefire in the energy sector in a phone call with President Trump.”
The Washington correspondent continued that “The US and Ukraine working-level teams plan to meet in Saudi Arabia soon to discuss ways to expand the energy sector ceasefire to a maritime ceasefire.”
‘Newsis’ reported with the headline <Trump to Zelensky, “What if the Ukrainian nuclear power plant was owned by the U.S.?” (Comprehensive)> and the subtitle <Zelensky and Trump spur ‘shuttle diplomacy’ the day after phone call; Ukraine agrees to partial ceasefire and working-level negotiations… Outlook for negotiation speed, U.S. “U.S. “U.S. ownership of nuclear power plant would be best”… Hesitant about missile demands> that the Washington correspondent said, “President Trump has spurred shuttle diplomacy to end the war with Russia and Ukraine,” and “Ukraine is expected to speed up ceasefire discussions, as it has similarly agreed to the previous day’s agreement (between Trump and Putin) to stop attacking energy facilities and immediately begin ceasefire negotiations.”
The US and Ukraine, which are not parties to the war, are approaching a 'partial ceasefire', which is equivalent to an 'agreement to attempt negotiations'.
As Trump's 'partial ceasefire' became difficult to achieve his election promise of 'early termination of war', the Korean media actively abused pro-Trump reporting for media publicity packaging, showing the 'absolutization' of the White House announcement.
See <Trump continues to attack civilians on Putin's territory, 'participating in peace', Korean media manipulates the media for the 'ceasefire agreement', March 19, 2025>