- Russia and Uzbekistan signed an agreement for Moscow to build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to ensure cooperation in Uzbekistan's nuclear energy market.
- This project would mark the first nuclear power plant in Central Asia, strengthening Russia's regional influence.
Russia and Uzbekistan on Monday signed an agreement for Moscow to build a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country, as Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Uzbek capital with Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Mirziyoyev praised the project as “vital” in remarks after the talks, noting that Uzbekistan has “its own large reserves of uranium.” Putin, in turn, promised to “do everything possible to work effectively in the (nuclear energy) market of Uzbekistan.”
If the deal is implemented, the plant would become the first in Central Asia, further increasing Russia's influence in the region.
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Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti cited Russian state energy corporation Rosatom as saying the project envisions the construction of six reactors with a total capacity of 330 megawatts. According to Russian media, the two countries previously discussed the construction of a nuclear power plant with a higher capacity – 2.4 gigawatts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev attend a signing ceremony following an expanded format meeting at the Kuksaroy Presidential Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, May 27, 2024. Russia and Uzbekistan signed on Monday an agreement for Moscow to build a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP)
Putin also promised to increase gas supplies to Uzbekistan.
The talks between Putin and Mirziyoyev took place in Uzbekistan's capital, Tashkent, where the Russian leader traveled on Sunday on his third trip abroad since assuming a fifth presidential term earlier this month.
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He went first to China, where he expressed appreciation for Chinese proposals for talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and then to Belarus, where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.
The trips reflect the Kremlin's ongoing efforts to shore up support amid ongoing tensions with the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
