U.S. floated crypto mining at Zaporizhzhia plant, Putin says

The United States has expressed interest in setting up cryptocurrency mining at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southeastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin told business leaders during a recent meeting, while Moscow and Washington discuss future management of the site.

According to Putin, the mining proposal surfaced within negotiations over how the plant would be run and how its electricity would be allocated. The complex, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, has been under Russian control since 2022 and influences power supply for southern Ukraine and regional grid stability.

Multiple management options are under review. One idea would create joint Russian–U.S. oversight that excludes Ukraine. Another would establish a three-way structure with equal stakes for the United States, Ukraine and Russia. A separate Ukrainian proposal outlines a 50-50 venture between the United States and Ukraine, under which Ukraine would receive half of the output and the U.S. would decide how to allocate the remainder; Ukrainian officials have indicated this could include deliveries to Russia.

Any cryptocurrency mining project at the plant would seek to use its steady baseload to power energy-intensive computing hardware. No details have been provided on scale, timing, regulatory supervision or which digital assets would be mined. With ownership and operating control unresolved, the feasibility and schedule of such an enterprise remain unclear.

Whoever manages the facility would control safety protocols, fuel supply and maintenance, access for international inspectors and the direction of electricity flows. The plant continues to feature in broader talks that link security guarantees, energy distribution and economic arrangements.

As the war enters its fourth year, U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and a wider peace package. This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported progress on a 20-point framework with Washington. Putin has indicated readiness to consider concessions while maintaining a firm position on the status of the Donbas region.

Negotiations over Zaporizhzhia are tied to those efforts because control of the plant would shape electricity supply in southern Ukraine and the terms of any energy-sharing or reconstruction plans. With competing proposals still on the table and no agreement in place, both the plant’s governance and any related crypto mining initiative remain unsettled.

As we reported earlier, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed asked the Justice and Treasury departments to investigate World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm tied to Donald Trump’s family. They cited data that WLFI tokens were sold to potentially suspicious parties, including addresses associated with North Korea and Russia, and warned of national security risks.