French foreign minister visits Chornobyl NPP, sees aftermath of Russian attack

He spoke about the visit during a joint press conference in Kyiv with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I was in Chornobyl today [on July 21] to see with my own eyes the damage caused by a Russian drone strike on the sarcophagus that was built by French companies and that helped secure the damaged nuclear power plant," Barrot said.

The minister recalled that France had provided EUR 10 million to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to support urgent efforts to mitigate the consequences of the attack. He also called on other countries to join these efforts to ensure the damage is swiftly addressed.

During the visit, Barrot was also shown examples of Ukrainian-made weaponry, including the Bulava and Leleka drones, the Kvertus electronic warfare system, ground-based robotic platforms, and a model of the Bohdana self-propelled artillery system.

On February 14, a Russian attack drone equipped with a high-explosive warhead struck the protective shelter over Chornobyl's destroyed fourth reactor unit. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later discovered fragments of a Shahed-type loitering munition both inside and near the protective structure.

Photo: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry / Facebook