Donors at a conference in Paris on Monday, Nov. 9, committed 278 million euros to repair the protective arch over the destroyed reactor at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant, a little more than half of the roughly 500 million euros needed.
The arch, known as the New Safe Confinement, was damaged by a Russian drone strike on Feb. 14, 2025, which hit its outer and inner cladding and its safety systems, Ukrinform reported. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says the structure must be fully restored by 2030 to limit corrosion of its steel.
Who is paying
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said France is adding 30 million euros to the 10 million it already gave for early studies, for a total of 40 million. Ukraine's energy minister, Denys Shmyhal, listed other pledges: about 86 million euros from the United States, 75 million from the European Commission, 50 million from Germany, 20 million from the United Kingdom, 9 million from Norway and about 7 million from Canada, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
At least 222 million euros still has to be raised. Lescure said the goal is to have the full amount by spring 2027. The conference, co-chaired by France, Ukraine and the EBRD, was held alongside the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris. Related: G7 ministers open Paris talks and Zaporizhzhia plant loses outside power.