Pursuant to Federal Law on International Treaties of the Russian Federation, a decision was adopted to suspend the Agreement.
Reference
The Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Russian Federation on Cooperation in Nuclear- and Energy-Related Scientific Research and Development (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement) was signed on September 16, 2013 in Vienna.
The Agreement defines areas of scientific and technical cooperation in using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, including nuclear security, nuclear power station design, innovative kinds of reactor fuel, the use of nuclear and radiation technologies in medicine and industry, and handling radioactive waste.
The Agreement envisions the implementation of joint projects with US specialists that would further mutually beneficial cooperation in the nuclear energy sphere and help save time and resources in conducting fundamental and applied research in this sphere.
The actions taken by the United States related to the introduction of sanctions against Russia have directly affected the areas of cooperation under the Agreement. In April 2014, the Rosatom State Corporation received a letter from the US Department of Energy Bureau at the US Embassy in Moscow citing directives from Washington and announcing the suspension of nuclear energy cooperation in connection with the events in Ukraine.
This step by the US is a substantial violation of the terms of the Agreement that is designed to expand cooperation in nuclear energy research and development and provide a stable, reliable and predictable foundation for this cooperation.
This declaration of US policy was followed by the cancellation of bilateral meetings and events related to nuclear energy, which can qualify as a violation of Paragraph 3, Article IV and Paragraph 1, Article X of the Agreement.
The regular extension of US sanctions against Russia, including the suspension of Russian-US nuclear energy cooperation, requires the adoption of countermeasures in relation to the US.
Under Article 37.1 of Federal Law 101-FZ of June 15, 1994, On International Treaties of the Russian Federation, the directive stipulates that the Agreement be suspended.
Under this approach, the international legal framework of cooperation with the United States will be preserved. Russia will preserve the possibility of resuming cooperation under the Agreement when that is justified by the general context of relations with the United States.