European Union increases import of Russian nuclear fuel in 2023
European Union increases import of Russian nuclear fuel in 2023 (Getty Images)
The European Union has likely increased its purchase of nuclear fuel from Russia in 2023 compared to pre-war levels, according to the Euratom Supply Agency data, Sky News reports.
According to the agency, five EU countries that use Soviet-designed pressurized water reactors (VVER) exceeded the level of nuclear fuel imports from Russia in 2021.
"Imports by countries operating Russia-designed VVER reactors grew in 2022 compared to 2021, and they will have likely grown in 2023 compared to the year before the Russian invasion," said the acting head of the Euratom Agency.
The agency specifies that the five countries continuing to import Russian nuclear fuel are Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
"Those utilities are building additional inventories of fresh fuel. Further advance purchases will most likely contribute in the short-term to more material coming to VVER utilities from Russia in comparison to 2021," he said.
Nuclear sanctions against Russia
Ukraine has long been urging the European Union to impose nuclear sanctions, under which the import of nuclear fuel from Russia to EU countries would be prohibited.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently mentioned that Ukraine had proposed a solution to the EU on how to stop relying on Russian nuclear fuel. However, there are no further decisions on new restrictions yet.
