UK Might End Nuclear Agreement With Russia & Expel Russia from European Council

The United Kingdom is preparing more steps to punish Russia for annexing Crimea from Ukraine. The European Union and United States have both already implemented many sanctions against Russia.

Now Britain’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) might end its nuclear co-operation agreement with Russian state firm Rosatom. Rosatom did not comment, but a DECC spokesman said that nothing had yet been finalised. The agreement was signed last September as a way to bring the UK into the nuclear market. Finnish company Fortum and Rolls-Royce also signed the deal to help Rosatom’s reactor comply with British standards:

A Fortum spokeswoman told Reuters that the agreement was now uncertain.

“Since the political situation is evolving rapidly, it is not easy – if even possible – to draw conclusions on the future development of affairs,” she said.

Rolls-Royce declined to comment.

In another move, Attorney General Dominic Grieve said the UK may seek to expel Russia from the European Council:

Speaking in the House of Commons, Dominic Grieve said “nothing is ruled out at all” when asked whether Russia could be thrown out of the organisation of 47 member states that have signed up to the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Grieve said Russia had been “tearing up the rulebook” in its annexation of Crimea.

On Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the cancellation of the G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, which was scheduled for June this year. The summit, now the G7, was moved to Brussels.