LONDON, May 13 (RIA Novosti's Alexander Smotrov). At a Thursday meeting at the headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the donor countries for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant have promised to spend around $200 million on a new safer cover for the ruin of its former Unit Four.

In this amount, $185 million will come from G-8 member states and the EU, the other $22 million from Ukraine. Notably, an EBRD representative said, this is the first time that Russia also makes its contribution to the project.

EBRD is in charge of the Chernobyl Shelter Fund with 28 member states. The fund was able to collect around �600 million to keep the plant safe. Together with the latest batch, the overall aid will get close to $1 billion. The new cover - the primary spending item, according to the fund - will be completed in 2008-2009.

EBRD president Jean Lemierre welcomed new funds and described the move as a sign that the international community remains committed to complete the Chernobyl shelter.

He also expressed his assurance that Ukraine would be able to complete the project in good time and that the Ukrainian leadership would watch closely where the Chernobyl money is spent.

The Chernobyl nuclear blast of April 26, 1986 was a major technological and humanitarian catastrophe of the 20th century. After the blast, the European Community made a survey of cesium contamination in Europe to find out that 17 countries with a total area of 207, 500 sq km were affected by cesium activity in excess of 1 Curie per square kilometer: 43,500 square km were contaminated in Belarus, 59,300 square km in Russia, and 37,600 square km in Ukraine.