Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the United States of America for the decision to provide financial support for the repair of the protective dome of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which was damaged as a result of a missile strike by Russian troops on the night of February 14, 2025.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“The confinement… was created through the efforts of an international coalition, and now over 500 million euros are needed for its restoration. We need to restore the full safety of the confinement. We are working together with partners for this, and every contribution brings us closer to the goal. On Sunday, on the fortieth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, we agreed on cooperation with partners… Now we have results. Thank you to the United States for the support!”
US and G7 Support for Nuclear Safety at Chernobyl
According to the US State Department, the American side is leading international efforts organized by the G7 countries to restore nuclear safety systems at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. To this end, the United States plans to allocate about 100 million dollars for joint G7 projects aimed at further isolating fissile nuclear material at the plant.
Over the past three decades, the US, along with its G7 partners, has actively worked to mitigate nuclear risks at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. In particular, Washington has already provided over 365 million dollars for the construction of the New Safe Confinement (NSC) arch, which protects the main reactor zones from radioactive contamination.
Consequences of the Attack and the Importance of the Protective Dome
In February 2025, damage was recorded to the protective dome over the destroyed fourth reactor of Chernobyl as a result of a drone strike. Ukraine reported that the strike was carried out by a Russian drone with an explosive warhead, although the Kremlin traditionally denied the accusations, claiming it was a provocation by Kyiv aimed at disrupting peace negotiations.
Despite the limited physical nature of the dome’s damage, its consequences are significant both in terms of safety and financially. The cost of complete restoration has been estimated at over 500 million euros.
The fourth reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded in 1986, leading to the largest nuclear disaster in human history. To prevent further radiation leakage, a new protective dome costing 2.5 billion dollars was erected over the reactor in 2019, which also provides conditions for the further dismantling of the reactor remnants.