Vladimir Putin has called on Russian officials to consider restrictions on exports of commodities including uranium, in retaliation against fresh western sanctions against Moscow and its allies.
“Please take a look at some of the types of goods that we supply to the world market . . . Maybe we should think about certain restrictions — uranium, titanium, nickel,” Russia’s president said in a televised meeting with top government officials on Wednesday.
Any curb on sales of enriched uranium could affect western nuclear reactors. Many of them have long-term contracts for supplies from Russia, which accounts for about a third of the world’s uranium enriching capacity, and about 5 per cent of uranium mining.