France, Hungary and Bulgaria are blocking sanctions against the Russian nuclear sector, in particular the state-owned company Rosatom. On this subject writing Polska Agencja Prasowa (PAP), citing anonymous European sources.
According to the agency’s interlocutor, France acts as the “greatest support” of cooperation with Rosatom. In turn, the representatives of Hungary, when the European Union talks about sanctions against the Russian nuclear company, “cry the loudest” and speak of a threat to their national security, while Bulgaria expresses fears of disrupting energy supply, the source said.
According to PAP, reports also began to “reach” Brussels that Rosatom was beginning to feel “protected” from sanctions, since the Russian state-owned company did not fall under any of the ten EU sanctions packages. At the same time, its subsidiaries fell under European restrictions.
Meanwhile, Kiev is demanding that the European Union impose sanctions on Russian nuclear power, a PAP source in the EU said. In its contacts with EU representatives, Ukraine draws attention to the fact that Rosatom, which considered having a “protective umbrella” in Europe, “began to be active in areas not directly related to nuclear energy,” the source said. . He did not specify which areas he is talking about.
In January, the Washington Post (WP) writing referring to data from Ukrainian intelligence that Rosatom may import foreign equipment and electronics for the benefit of Russian manufacturers of missiles, shells and armored vehicles.
Poland’s permanent representative to the EU, Andrzej Sados, told PAP that Warsaw intends to impose EU sanctions against Russia’s nuclear industry. “This is one of the Polish postulates. We are working on this in close cooperation with the Ukrainian side,” he added. Earlier, Sados noted that Warsaw only agreed to the EU’s 10th sanctions package against Moscow on the condition that sanctions against Rosatom begin to be drawn up.
In addition to Poland, Lithuania insists on sanctions against Russia’s nuclear sector in the European Union, informed Reuters, citing sources. The agency noted that this step is blocked by Hungary, since Rosatom is building two new units at the Hungarian nuclear power plant in the Hungarian town of Paks. In February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Rosatom needed to ensure it was ready for Russian nuclear weapons tests in case they were carried out.
