Republican lawmakers urged President Joe Biden to block French company Electricite de France (EDF) from collaborating on nuclear power projects with Russia's Rosatom.
According to Fox News, they argued that such collaboration would result in more money in Russian President Vladimir Putin's coffers to fund his war in Ukraine.
Republicans Urge Joe Biden to Block French Company From Working With Rosatom of Russia
In a May 6 letter acquired by Reuters, Representative Michael McCaul and Senator Jim Risch urged Joe Biden not to waive sanctions on Russia, saying it would allow French-owned Electricite de France to engage in nuclear power ventures with Russia's state-owned nuclear company Rosatom.
The two Republican lawmakers feared it would financially benefit Vladimir Putin's regime and emphasized that the proposed collaboration would undermine efforts to deter Russian aggression.
The letter cited Biden's 2021 executive order imposing sanctions on Russia to address national security concerns posed by Moscow's foreign activities.
They stressed that exempting EDF from US sanctions would enable the company to buy a subsidiary of a US firm engaged in nuclear projects with Rosatom in Egypt, Hungary, and Turkey.
Bipartisan Support for Ukraine
The lawmakers argued that reducing reliance on Russian energy is crucial to transatlantic security. They urged the Biden administration not to "consider actively perpetuating this dependence."
The call comes amid bipartisan efforts to support Ukraine, which include a recently passed nearly $61 billion military aid package and an upcoming ban on Russian-enriched uranium imports.
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