Russia restricts enriched uranium exports to the US

Russia, the world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, said on Friday that it had imposed temporary restrictions on the export of enriched uranium to the United States, a symbolic tit-for-tat move after the US banned Russian uranium imports.

Russia holds about 44 percent of the world’s uranium enrichment capacity and about 35 percent of US nuclear fuel imports used to come from Russia, according to the US office of nuclear energy.

But in May, President Joe Biden signed into law a ban on Russian enriched uranium, though the US also has the ability to issue waivers if there are supply concerns.

Russia’s government said a decision on imposing temporary restrictions on exports to the United States had been signed, though it said there were exceptions.

“The decision was made on the instructions of the president in response to the restriction and ban imposed by the United States,” the Russian government said.