US using sanctions to oust Russia from nuclear energy market — expert

BUDAPEST, January 14. /TASS/. US sanctions against Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, including its CEO Alexey Likhachev, are aimed at pushing Russia out of the international nuclear energy market, Hungarian expert and Atombiztos (Nuclear Security) blogger Zsolt Harfas told TASS commenting on the US’ punitive measures against Rosatom’s senior executives.

Rosatom, which is in the process of building the Paks-2 nuclear plant in Hungary, “is a major player in the nuclear energy sphere and continues honoring its obligations irrespective of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the situation with sanctions,” Harfas said. “It’s clear that the goal of the US and Western Europe is to push Rosatom out of the nuclear market,” he noted.

“Now, we are seeing increased signs of these efforts as a number of countries, including certain players in Brussels, are pushing for sanctions against Rosatom. Clearly, sanctions against Rosatom’s executives align with this objective,” the expert said.

Nuclear energy should be a field of mutually beneficial cooperation, not a domain for sanctions, Harfas stressed. Broad collaboration in the nuclear sector is required “to achieve goals in global climate protection, ensure reliable energy supplies and maintain competitiveness. And above all, for the sake of nuclear safety,” he stressed.

On January 10, the US administration announced sanctions against Rosatom’s senior executives. The corporation said in its turn that it perceives such measures as unfriendly countries trying to gain a competitive advantage.