MOSCOW, April 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Decision of the US Department of the Energy (DoE) to stop collaboration with Russia in the sphere of peaceful utilization of nuclear power is ill-conceived and ill-looking, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told ITAR-TASS Friday.

Russia’s state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said Thursday the Department of Energy had informed it on suspension of collaboration on a range of projects related to peaceful utilization of the atomic energy. As a motif for the suspension, the American side made reference to “Russia’s actions in Ukraine.”

“We’re clearing out at the moment what the DoE decision on suspending collaboration in this sector might really mean,” Ryabkov said. “A lot of work has been done in this area and large-scale project have been drawn up.”

“Most remarkably, that’s precisely the sphere where cooperation has always been bringing doubtless mutual benefits,” he said.

“It’s really strange to hear from our US counterparts for many long years how important all of this (collaboration) for the future of global power generating sector, science, and environmental solutions is and then to learn in a twinkle of an eye there’s no room anymore for contacts at this cutting edge and research and technological progress of entire human civilization,” Ryabkov said. “That’s ill-conceived, ill-looking, and misleading.”

“Still, Moscow hopes that trees will again be seen for the forest when the wind in Washington changes and today’s emotions subside,” Ryabkov said.