France has strengthened cooperation with russia in the field of nuclear energy

This is because the European Union has not imposed sanctions on the russian nuclear industry.

This was reported by Le Monde and Greenpeace.

According to customs data, the share of russian enriched uranium in the total volume of such uranium imports to France fell sharply from 67% in 2022 to 24% in 2024. But in 2025, France imported at least once enriched uranium from russia.

russia extracts natural uranium in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and enriches it at its plants in Siberia. It is this uranium that France imports. The country has the capacity to enrich uranium independently at its nuclear facilities, but still continues to import enriched uranium from russia.

France also resumed exports of reprocessed uranium in November 2025. For reuse, this uranium, obtained from fuel in French reactors, can only be reprocessed at one plant in the world – in Seversk, Siberia.

France says that the deployment of new enrichment and reprocessing capacities ‘requires investment’ and has already asked the European Union to ‘set lower import quotas to allow producers to adapt.’

The French government told Le Monde that ‘the government is determined to reduce dependence on russia in all areas, including nuclear,’ and that it is ‘actively discussing ways to increase sovereign industrial capabilities’ in the field of uranium conversion and enrichment.

Source: Suspilne, Le Monde