The UK will provide 17 million pounds sterling (approximately 22 million US dollars) for the restoration of the New Safe Confinement (NSC), which was damaged last year by a russian drone strike.
This was announced by British government officials – Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband – according to the UK government’s press office.
“UK joins G7 partners in an international funding package that will back Ukraine’s nuclear safety in the face of continued Russian aggression. Support comes after the Prime Minister welcomed President Zelenskyy to Downing Street, calling on allies to increase pressure on Putin’s war machine”, the statement said.
The UK’s contribution will form part of an international programme coordinated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in cooperation with the Ukrainian government and the G7 countries. The European Commission, the United States of America, Norway and Germany had previously announced financial assistance under this initiative.
The UK has a long-standing record of supporting nuclear safety at Chornobyl. The UK was a founding donor to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) in 2020.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, together with the State Exclusion Zone Management Agency and the СhNPP, continues to work with international partners to raise the necessary funds for the restoration of the NSC structure. The agreements reached will form an important basis for the international donor conference which the EBRD plans to hold on 9 November in Paris.