US president signs bill banning Russian uranium imports

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill on Monday prohibiting Russian imports of enriched uranium.

"Today, President Biden signed into law a historic series of actions that will strengthen our nation’s energy and economic security by reducing—and ultimately eliminating—our reliance on Russia for civilian nuclear power," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

The new law reestablishes America’s leadership in the nuclear sector, Sullivan said, adding it will help secure the US energy sector for generations to come.

"And—building off the unprecedented $2.72 billion in federal funding that Congress recently appropriated at the President’s request—it will jumpstart new enrichment capacity in the United States and send a clear message to industry that we are committed to long-term growth in our nuclear sector," he added.

The bill will ban the imports 90 days after its enactment.