The head of Rosatom stated that there is no fear of competition in the nuclear industry

“Rosatom“is not afraid of competition, but, on the contrary, welcomes it,” said the general director of the state corporation Alexei Likhachev in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” on TV channel “Russia 1”.

“So, in a slightly peculiar way, history repeats itself. Like a farce: when not the Soviet Union, but the United States of America are trying to catch up and overtake. But not only are we not afraid of competition, we welcome competition,” said Likhachev, answering a question from journalist Pavel Zarubin about the creation by the United States and Great Britain of an alliance to counter the Russian company.

On June 8, the United States and Great Britain announced the conclusion of a new economic partnership, which will be aimed, among other things, at squeezing Russia out of the nuclear energy market. The next day, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin concerned statement by London and Washington about plans to oppose Russia in this industry. He stressed that the Russian nuclear industry “proved its leadership as a result of fierce competition,” and the position of the Russian atom “is quite strong.”

After the strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions in the spring of 2022, European politicians have repeatedly advocated the imposition of sanctions against Rosatom, but no serious measures have been taken in the EU. In April 2023, the United States approved sanctions against a subsidiary of the Rusatom Overseas Corporation, which is responsible for building nuclear science and technology centers abroad. On May 19, Great Britain included nine structures of Rosatom in the sanctions list; in March, Likhachev himself fell under British sanctions.