EU Statement UN General Assembly: Chornobyl Commemoration

EU Statement -- UN General Assembly: Chornobyl Commemoration

24 April 2026, New York -- Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States delivered by H.E. Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Delegation of the EU to the UN, on the UN General Assembly's Agenda Item 72 (d): Strengthening of international cooperation and coordination of efforts to study, mitigate, and minimize the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster: Special commemorative meeting of the Assembly in observance of the fortieth anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster

President,

I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this meeting.

I have the honor to make this statement on behalf of the EU and its member states.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Andorra, Monaco, and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Exactly forty years ago, an accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant led to one of the most horrific nuclear disasters in history. It had widespread consequences across Europe and notably in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, causing fatalities, long-term health effects, food shortages, and environmental pollution that will last for many years to come. Around 350,000 people were forced to leave their homes in severely contaminated areas, facing social, economic and health-related consequences that continue to this day. We pay tribute to the memory of the victims, and to those who to this day continue to suffer from the consequences of the disaster.

The Chornobyl catastrophe serves as an important reminder to us all of our responsibility to do anything in our capacity to prevent nuclear accidents and to maintain and continuously improve the highest level of nuclear safety and security. In the decades since that fateful day in 1986, the EU has stood alongside the affected communities in the long work of remediation, medical support and environmental monitoring. We contributed over 400 million EUR to the New Safe Confinement, a vast steel arch which seals the reactor from the air and rain. It is not a monument to victory, but an acknowledgement that some things we set in motion cannot be undone, only contained.

This brings us to the present day. Alas, today, it is evident that one state - the Russian Federation - actively undermines nuclear safety and security in Europe and beyond with its targeted and large-scale attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. These attacks, including on power lines and substations critical for the off-site power supply of nuclear power plants, increase the risk of a nuclear accident at Ukraine's nuclear facilities.

Russia has also directly targeted and even temporarily occupied Ukrainian nuclear sites, damaging the facilities. It occupied the site of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in 2022 and recklessly struck the New Safe Confinement with a drone last year, tearing a 6-meter-wide hole in the sarcophagus, setting it ablaze and undermining the primary safety function of the structure. In response, the European Union mobilised an additional EUR 1 million to support Ukraine's emergency works on the site. The EBRD assesses that repairs could cost at least 500 million EUR, with work needed to restore the structure to full functionality by 2030.

In addition, Russia continues to undermine the safe and secure operation of nuclear power plants in Ukraine, notably with its unlawful occupation and illegal seizure of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the ongoing interruption of normal operations, such as impeding the rotation of personnel through occupied Ukrainian territory. We call on Russia to immediately return control of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to its rightful owner -the competent Ukrainian authorities-, and refrain from any further actions targeting nuclear installations or Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

I want to reiterate the EU's support for the IAEA's efforts to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety, security and safeguards under these unprecedented circumstances. We commend the dedication and professionalism of the Agency's staff deployed in Ukraine and thank the Director General for the regular updates to the IAEA's Board of Governors.

President,

Marking 40 years since the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, we remember all those affected and we reiterate our utmost concern over the nuclear safety and security risks caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Let today's commemoration be a moment to reflect on the importance of nuclear safety and security, and of respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

There must never be a second Chornobyl. Not in Ukraine, not anywhere.

I thank you.

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   North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.