The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has backed bills to impose sanctions on Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom and individuals posing threats to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, reports the press service of Ukraine’s Energy Ministry.
“The positive decision of the Committee is an important signal that demonstrates the resolve of our American partners to impose sanctions on Rosatom. This is an extremely important step to punish Russia for the acts of nuclear terrorism it is committing in Ukraine,” Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko was quoted as saying.
One bill aims to end US dependence on Russian nuclear energy by replacing Russian suppliers with American and allied producers while restricting the Russian government’s access to revenues through sanctions and export controls against Rosatom.
The other bill proposes sanctions on individuals who “jeopardized the integrity, security or undermined Ukraine’s operational control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” including asset freezes, visa revocations, and fines.
In February 2023, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called for sanctions against Russia’s nuclear and diamond industries. Ukraine has insisted on sanctions against Russia’s nuclear sector due to violations by Russian forces and Rosatom personnel of basic nuclear and radiation safety principles during military actions in Ukraine, particularly their occupation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
At least three EU countries—France, Hungary, and Bulgaria—have reportedly blocked sanctions against Rosatom. In April 2023, many called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear power industry.
Read also:
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