France pledges another €30 million to repair Chornobyl protective arch

France has announced an additional €30 million to repair the protective arch over reactor unit 4 at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Economy and Finance Minister Roland Lescure announced the decision on 9 November 2026, ahead of the donor conference in Paris, Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform reported. The new pledge brings France’s total contribution to €40 million. The previous €10 million is earmarked for preliminary studies.

Donors announce commitments totalling €278 million

At the close of the conference, French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad announced that 15 donors had confirmed commitments totalling €278 million. According to a preliminary estimate by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, cited by Ukrinform, full restoration will cost at least €500 million.

If the scope of the costs and the pledged funding are comparable, this amounts to coverage of around 56% and a shortfall of at least €222 million. The figure may change: the repair estimate is preliminary, and donor commitments do not necessarily mean that funds have already been transferred.

Lescure also recalled the G7 countries’ intention, announced in October, to provide €260 million. This sum cannot automatically be added to the €278 million reported in Paris, as it is unclear how far the two commitments overlap. The minister expects the necessary funding to be raised by spring 2027.

When funding is expected and what is known about the damage

The spring 2027 date cited by Lescure is a deadline for raising the funds, not for completing the restoration work. The final technical scope of the repairs, their timetable and the disbursement of the announced funds remain unclear.

According to Ukrinform, the arch was damaged in a Russian drone strike on 14 February 2025. The report does not identify the source of the claim that the drone was Russian. The funding announcement itself does not establish the current state of the structure’s protective functions.

This is a developing story and further information may be added.