International donors pledge €303 million to repair Chernobyl's New Safe Confinement after Russian drone strike
A high-level donor conference in Paris on restoring the New Safe Confinement at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant brought together 34 countries and international organizations. Fourteen of them pledged a total of €303 million to an EBRD-managed international cooperation account for the repair work. Ukraine says full restoration of the structure's functionality is planned by 2030, and it will work with partners to recover restoration costs from Russian assets.
Key points
- 14 countries and international organizations pledged €303 million to the EBRD-managed international cooperation account for the Chernobyl plant.
- 34 countries and international organizations took part in the high-level donor conference in Paris.
- Donors announcing contributions included the EU, Germany, France, the US, the UK, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Lithuania and Austria.
- Canada, Greece, Italy, Moldova and the Netherlands said they would announce their commitments in the coming months.
- About €500 million is needed in total for the confinement's restoration; after the conference, at least €222 million still has to be raised.
- The confinement was damaged by a Russian drone; a fire broke out on the sarcophagus roof and could not be quickly extinguished, and no radiation background increase was observed.
- Ukraine plans to complete all engineering work and fully restore the confinement's functionality by 2030; temporary repairs are already under way.
Why it matters
The pledges are meant to advance repairs to the protective structure covering the destroyed fourth reactor, and the money starts closing a sizeable gap: roughly €500 million is needed for full restoration, so at least €222 million remains to be raised. Ukraine also intends to pursue recovery of the costs from Russian assets and treats Russia as ultimately responsible for compensation. The attack triggered a fire on the sarcophagus roof that could not be extinguished quickly and required interim repairs before the full restoration can begin.
What happened
A high-level donor conference on restoring the New Safe Confinement of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was held in Paris, organized jointly by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the government of France and the EBRD. Thirty-four countries and international organizations attended, and fourteen of them committed €303 million to the international cooperation account for Chernobyl, which is managed by the EBRD. The EU, Germany, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Lithuania and Austria announced contributions, while Canada, Greece, Italy, Moldova and the Netherlands said they would announce their commitments in the following months. Ukraine's delegation was led by deputy energy minister Anatolii Kutsevol. France separately announced on 9 November an additional €30 million for repairing the protective arch of the Chernobyl plant. The confinement had been damaged by a Russian drone; the strike on the roof of the sarcophagus covering the destroyed fourth reactor caused a fire that could not be quickly extinguished, no radiation background increase was observed, and the resulting emergency situation was fully resolved on 7 March. Temporary repairs are already under way, and Ukraine plans to finish all engineering work and fully restore the confinement's functionality by 2030.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage stresses the scale of the damage, the roughly €500 million needed for restoration, the temporary repairs already under way and the national target of restoring full functionality by 2030. It also highlights the effort to recover restoration costs from Russian assets, on the position that final responsibility for compensation lies with Russia. Ukraine's delegation was headed by deputy energy minister Anatolii Kutsevol.
How international sources describe it
International coverage centers on the Paris donor conference, the broad participation of states and international organizations, and pledges coordinated through an EBRD-managed account. The European Union and numerous countries are identified as donors, while several participants said they would announce their commitments in subsequent months. France is presented both as host and as an additional donor for repairing the protective arch.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian sources give two different dates for the drone attack that damaged the confinement: February 2025 or the night of 14 February 2026.
Background
The donor conference was the second major step in financing the restoration of the New Safe Confinement after the drone strike: the EBRD-managed international cooperation account for Chernobyl receives contributions from states and international organizations, and part of the sum has already been announced while another part is still to come. France announced an additional €30 million on 9 November for repairing the protective arch damaged in the attack.