The United States allowed transactions with Gazprombank related to nuclear energy

According to the document, transactions are allowed until June 30, 2025. We are talking about transactions “carried out solely for the maintenance or supply of civil nuclear projects started before November 21, 2024,” the license states.

He also emphasizes that the permit does not apply to new projects, for example, the Paks II nuclear power plant in Hungary, as well as to “any debit from the account of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Welfare Fund of the Federation of Russia” Russian Federation or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, located on the balance sheet of a US financial institution.”

Together with Gazprombank, the state corporation Dom.RF, Primsotsbank, BKS Bank and other credit organizations were blacklisted by the US Treasury in mid-November. In total, the restrictions affected about 100 individuals and legal entities.

After 2022, Gazprombank played an important role in international payments and was the “main channel” for the flow of currency into Russia, which is why sanctions led to the collapse of the ruble, Natalia Orlova, chief economist at Alfa, noted in a conversation. Bank. with RB.RU. According to her, the restrictions forced Russian exporters to “change logistics a lot.”

US sanctions also affected Russia’s foreign partners. In early December, Hungarian authorities asked Washington to make an exception so the country could continue paying for Russian gas. The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, pointed out at the time that this would not be an “unusual situation”, since several Russian banks “already have this exception when paying for uranium supplies to the United States.”

In November it emerged that Türkiye was also negotiating with the United States exceptions to sanctions against Gazprombank.

Last year, Russian supplies accounted for 27% of the enriched uranium used in U.S. commercial nuclear reactors, according to Reuters. In January-July 2024, according to the agency, the United States reduced uranium imports from Russia by 30% in annual terms, to 313.05 tons.