OMM Newsroom
Britain will provide £17 million ($22.4 million) for critical repairs to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, whose protective shelter and ventilation system were damaged by a Russian drone strike last year, the British government said on Thursday.
The money will go towards an international programme coordinated by the “European Bank for Reconstruction and Development” in cooperation with the Ukrainian government and Group of Seven donors. The programme aims to restore the facility’s nuclear safety functions.
The repairs are intended to restore the protective structure’s confinement and ventilation functions and preserve its expected lifespan. The British government said that without the work, corrosion could jeopardise decades of international investment and increase long-term environmental and safety risks.
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey said Britain remained committed to Ukraine as Russia’s full-scale invasion continued.
“We are curtailing the war chest funding (Russian President Vladimir) Putin so desperately wants and backing the reconstruction of Ukraine, that has suffered at the hands of his barbaric attacks,” Healey said.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Britain would continue working with its allies to strengthen Ukraine’s security and increase the cost of Russia’s aggression.
“Our message to Putin is clear – we stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and will do so until they prevail,” Miliband said, adding that London was working towards a just and lasting peace.
