UK pledges £17m to repair Chornobyl nuclear plant after Russian drone strike

Britain will provide £17m (about $23m) for urgent repairs at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, which was hit by a Russian drone attack last year. The chancellor and foreign secretary announced the funding on Thursday. It will go towards restoring the site's protective shelter and ventilation system, amid concerns that corrosion could create longer-term environmental and safety risks.

The pledge followed a meeting at which Andy Burnham hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street and told him Britain was “behind you and that will not change”. The talks took place during a period of strained relations between Kyiv and Washington. It emerged that Ukraine's military has had its access to Elon Musk's Starlink technology throttled in key areas, which in effect renders most of the drones used to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and weakens its air defences.

Political backdrop

The Financial Times reported that the US proposed European countries unfreeze some Russian sovereign assets and move them into a vehicle overseen by Washington, in an effort to revive peace talks. European delegates reportedly rejected the plan from US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Support for Ukraine in Europe also faces political pressure. France's Marine Le Pen, who current polling suggests could win next year's presidential vote, said Paris cannot keep financing Ukraine given the “perilous” state of the economy. In Germany, the far-right AfD and the small leftist BSW party passed a symbolic motion in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament calling for an end to military aid for Ukraine. It has no practical effect, since state parliaments have no role in foreign policy.

Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat have risen on investor bets that European providers could gain, but experts say there is no ready alternative for Ukrainian drones. European defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said the continent is quite dependent on American space capabilities and should develop its own.