US Possible Ban of Russian Uranium Imports in Contrast to Practical Needs - Rosatom Head

SIRIUS, Russia (Sputnik) - In February, UK media reported that the US nuclear industry expected President Joe Biden's administration to ban imports of enriched uranium from Russia in 2024 following two years of stockpiling.

A political signal from Washington on a possible refusal of purchasing Russian uranium differs from the United States' practical needs, the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said on Tuesday.

"So far, the political signal that comes from Washington, to put it mildly, is slightly differing from the practical activities of US companies," Likhachev told Russian broadcaster on the sidelines of the 2024 Atomexpo forum in Sochi.

Rosatom chief said that unfriendly countries continued to cooperate with the Russian nuclear corporation, adding that Washington's announcements of possible restrictions related to phasing out Russian uranium supply harmed the global market and pushed uranium prices up.

"The market has lost in general, we must be honest ... It lost only because someone in Washington wanted to announce future restrictions against Russia as soon as possible," Likhachev told the broadcaster.

At the same time, Rosatom fulfills its commitments to foreign customers, Likhachev said, adding that possible external restrictions against the corporation would not deter its presence on friendly countries' markets.

"Restrictions [by unfriendly countries] against Rosatom are, first of all, a serious blow to the cost of their own nuclear projects," the nuclear corporation's chief was quoted as saying by media.

Russia currently controls nearly 50% of the global uranium enrichment capacity. Official US figures show that the United States imported $1.2 billion worth of enriched uranium from Russia in 2023, an all-time record.