Kristina Kazakova11:39, 11.12.25

Belarus attempted to promote an alternative document, but Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN reacted sharply.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine on strengthening international cooperation and minimizing the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The document was supported by 97 countries, but Russia, Belarus, and the United States were among those opposed, Ukrinform reports .

The document, which was supported by a majority of countries, officially acknowledges the long-term serious consequences of the accident and notes the need to support affected communities.

The resolution expresses “grave concern” over the damage to the new confinement over the destroyed Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant unit, which occurred on February 14 of this year as a result of a Russian drone attack. It notes that this has jeopardized decades of international efforts to ensure the facility’s security.

The adopted document also formalizes the change in the spelling of Chernobyl in English. From now on, UN documents will use the Ukrainian transliteration “Chornobyl” instead of the Soviet spelling “Chernobyl.” This decision also applies to the official name of International Remembrance Day, celebrated on April 26.

The UN General Assembly decided to hold a special meeting on April 24, 2026, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, and called on the world to help Ukraine restore the damaged nuclear power plant infrastructure.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, a representative of the US delegation explained her decision to vote “no” not by refusing to support Ukraine’s nuclear security, but by ideological differences with UN language.

At the same time, she added that Washington continues to support international nuclear safety standards and efforts to prevent incidents at Ukrainian nuclear facilities in wartime.

Belarus also attempted to promote an alternative document, which prompted a response from Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Andriy Melnyk. He recalled that Minsk had lost the moral right to such initiatives, having allowed its territory to be used for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to the Russian occupiers seizing the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

“An action by a state that allows its territory to be used by another state to commit an act of aggression against a third state is classified as an act of aggression,” Melnyk said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine welcomed the adoption of the resolution by Ukraine by the UN General Assembly.

The statement stated that this is an important step toward mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and recognizing the growing threats to global nuclear security arising from the irresponsible actions of the aggressor state. The decision also represents a significant contribution to restoring historical truth and justice.

“The draft resolution clearly emphasizes that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant belongs to Ukraine and establishes the correct Ukrainian transliteration of the entire Chernobyl file at the United Nations,” the statement said.

Russia’s strike on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant: Latest news

UNIAN previously reported that Yaroslav Yemelyanenko, a member of the Public Council of the State Agency for Exclusion Zone Management, stated that there is currently no risk of radiation leakage at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) following the Russian strike. Yemelyanenko explained that the sarcophagus, which has stood beneath this arch since the accident, was not damaged. He added that the new confinement was supposed to contain the reactor debris, and the old sarcophagus beneath it was supposed to be dismantled, but the work has not yet been completed. Therefore, he asserted, there is no current risk of radiation release.

We also reported that Sergey Kondratenko, Deputy Technical Director for Infrastructure at the ChNPP, stated that restoration of the containment vessel over Unit 4 of the ChNPP, damaged by the Russian attack, will continue until the end of 2026. Ukraine has signed a grant agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which provides for international partners to finance the restoration of the New Safe Confinement containment vessel. Specialists from the Novarka consortium, which designed and built the confinement arch, will be involved in the work.

(C)UNIAN 2025