India, April 30 -- The Department of State has announced it will provide up to $100 million in foreign assistance funding toward coordinated G7 efforts to ensure the continued containment of fissile nuclear material at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
For three decades, the United States and G7 partners have led efforts to secure nuclear material at the Chernobyl plant, with the United States providing more than $365 million in total funding towards the New Safe Confinement arch that secures the main reactor areas. Initially built with a 100-year lifespan, the NSC was damaged last year in a Russian drone strike. Without repairs, the NSC can no longer provide adequate protection, creating the specter of a dangerous leak of high...