Britain will send £17 million to fund critical repairs to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after it was hit by a Russian drone attack last year, the UK Government has announced. The funds will help restore the facility's protective shelter and ventilation systems, which sustained damage during the attack.
Support for Ukraine amid 'dark and difficult days'
The funding comes as Prime Minister Andy Burnham looked to strengthen backing for Ukraine during what he described as "dark and difficult days" for the nation. Chancellor John Healey declared the Government's dedication to the Ukrainian people was "unshakeable", while Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated Britain will "stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and will do so until they prevail".
This follows the Prime Minister welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street on Wednesday, October 14, when he assured the Ukrainian president the UK was "behind you and that will not change". Mr Zelensky was granted an extraordinary honour guard comprising troops from the Irish Guards upon his arrival at No 10.
Tensions with the US over Russia
The encounter occurred during a spell of tense relations between Ukraine and the US after Donald Trump relaxed sanctions on Russian diesel last week, as soaring fuel costs in America risked eclipsing November's mid-term elections. The UK reacted to reports of the arrangement by vowing to "maintain pressure on Russia".
In recent days, the US president has also suggested Ukraine needs a new leader and claimed Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal more than the government in Kyiv. Mr Zelensky has also said use of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system was "blocked" and that as a result "people will die", admitting that he felt betrayed by Mr Trump. "It's a pity that we are losing, we are losing a strong partner," he told Piers Morgan Uncensored.
Accelerated air defence supplies
Speaking in the Commons ahead of his meeting with Mr Zelensky, the Prime Minister said he would seek to restore Donald Trump's support for Ukraine. During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Burnham said he was being "careful" in his language after Mr Trump's diesel deal with Russia, as he said he was "laying the ground" for a reconciliation.
He added: "I will listen to President Zelensky carefully, but he won't be going away from Britain today empty-handed." During his meeting with Mr Zelensky, he confirmed that the UK would accelerate the supply of crucial air defence missiles to Ukraine amid "heavy bombardment" from Russia. The accelerated support will see faster deliveries of British lightweight multi-role missiles to Ukraine, which have proved effective against Russian jet-powered drones.
Russia continues to batter Ukraine's power grid, along with oil and gas infrastructure, despite Mr Trump's claims that both nations had reached an "energy ceasefire". Unveiling fresh funding for Chernobyl repairs, Mr Healey declared: "As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Putin continues, our commitment to the Ukrainian people is unshakeable. We are curtailing the war chest funding Putin so desperately wants and backing the reconstruction of Ukraine that has suffered at the hands of his barbaric attacks."
Mr Miliband stated: "Our message to Putin is clear - we stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and will do so until they prevail. Working with our allies, we are strengthening Ukraine's security, raising the cost of Russia's aggression and working towards a just and lasting peace."
