Russian enriched uranium: A crucial yet controversial trade for the West

Despite the attack on Ukraine, Russia—regardless of the imposed sanctions—remains an important trade partner for the West. One key export is Russian-enriched uranium, on which many countries nuclear power plants depend.

The Kremlin's propaganda outlet, Swobodnaja Pressa, published an article about the export of Russian uranium. According to the Russians, as much as 60% of France's demand for enriched uranium is met by imports from Russia.

The Russian editorial team emphasized that Russia could "turn off French nuclear power plants even tomorrow" (which is not true).

Russian uranium is also purchased by countries such as South Korea (34%) and the United States (27%), which continue to trade with Russia regardless of the imposed sanctions. Although the Russian article has a propagandistic tone, it highlights a real problem for the West: the necessity of importing enriched uranium from Russia.

This material is essential as fuel for nuclear power plants, which play a significant role in the energy balance of many countries, or—as in the case of France—constitute its foundation.

Meanwhile, the West, mainly due to environmental costs, has for years limited its own production of enriched uranium, with Russia and China taking the lead as primary producers. Only in recent years has there been a shift, with a gradual rebuilding of Western capabilities to independently produce enriched uranium.

In April 2024, the United States reported the production of the first, small batch of this raw material, developing its own facility in Ohio. The United Kingdom also announced plans to launch its own first European center for producing enriched uranium.

Although developing production on a scale adequate to the needs of the West will take time, the process of pushing Russia out of Western markets has already begun.