US President Joe Biden signed legislation prohibiting the entry of Russian uranium into the United States. Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov in Washington responded by claiming it would target the United States directly while Moscow would conduct initiatives in other countries.
“The financial losses for the United States will be much greater than for Russia. However, the main goal for local strategists is to harm our country,” said Antonov’s comment, the text distributed by the Russian diplomatic mission.
According to the ambassador, the White House’s actions are not just about Moscow. They are about disrupting the delicate balance of the worldwide market for nuclear fuel used in nuclear power plants. Antonov noted that Washington’s embargo will inevitably lead to new shocks in international economic ties.
“The fragile balance between uranium producers and importers is being disrupted,” the diplomat added. The ambassador emphasized that “without sufficient national enrichment capacity, Washington is harming its own economy” by ignoring the interests of its own consumers.
The bill, which was previously adopted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, restricts the import of low-enriched uranium produced in Russia or by one of its registered firms. Its impact is estimated till 2040.
However, the document authorizes the US Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with the Secretary of State and the head of the Department of Commerce, to lift the prohibition if other sources of uranium supply are unavailable or importing Russian fuel serves the “national interests” of the United States. Furthermore, there remains the possibility of exclusions from the ban until 2027, especially if doing so is in the “national interests” of the United States.
Meanwhile, Centrus, the largest company in the United States in the nuclear fuel cycle, has already warned that if the ban is imposed, it will approach relevant agencies with a request for exemptions to continue uranium supplies to its clients while also protecting the interests of the entire American nuclear industry.
