WASHINGTON, May 14. /TASS/. The United States ban on uranium imports from Russia is leading to new turmoil in international economic relations, Russian Ambassador in Washington Anatoly Antonov said answering a question from the media.
"The Administration continues its stillborn policy of inflicting strategic economic defeat on us. The current attack - not only on Russia, but also on the world market for uranium fuel used in nuclear power plants - leads to new shocks in international economic relations. The delicate balance between exporters and importers of uranium products is under threat," he said.
According to the ambassador, "Washington lacks enough national enrichment capacity and so is harming its own economy. Moreover, the financial losses for the United States will be much greater than for Russia. However, the main thing for local strategists is to harm our country."
"The Administration's sanctions policy is not leading to desired results. Reality has shown that the Russian economy is ready for any challenges and quickly responds to emerging difficulties, even extracting dividends from the situation. It will be so this time too," Antonov added.
It was reported earlier that US President Joe Biden signed a decree banning imports of uranium from Russia into the United States. According to the White House press service statement, Biden signed an executive order on Monday prohibiting the import of non-irradiated, low-enriched uranium produced in Russia or by a Russian company.
On April 30, the United States Senate passed legislation prohibiting imports of enriched uranium from Russia. However, in extreme situations, in the absence of other supplies of uranium to keep US reactors operational, or if such purchases are in the "national interest," the law permitted purchases to continue until January 2028. The legislation also required the Department of Energy to investigate and report to Congress on options for replacing Russian uranium supplies.