The United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Canada and France will work more closely together to create a shared nuclear fuel supply chain. In this way they want to reduce the influence of Russia, according to a statement from the British Department for Energy Security.
The five countries announced the cooperation on Sunday at the G7 meeting in Sapporo, Japan. They want to use the resources and capabilities of their nuclear power to push Russian President Vladimir Putin “out of the nuclear fuel market,” the UK ministry says. This should also prevent Russia from using its market position to finance the war in Ukraine.
Russia is one of the world’s largest suppliers of enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. The Russians have more than 40 percent of the world’s capacity, according to the British business newspaper Financial Times. Several former Soviet countries in Europe are still dependent on Russia for their nuclear fuel.
The UK has played a central role in the global effort to support Ukraine, to defeat Putin and to ensure that neither he nor anyone else like him can ever think of holding the world hostage with energy again. said Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security.
“The next essential step is to show Putin, together with other countries, that Russia is no longer welcome, and to strengthen our global energy security by using a reliable international supply of nuclear fuel from safe sources,” the ministry said.
