WASHINGTON- Despite strict economic sanctions imposed on Moscow over the ongoing war in Ukraine, Western nations continue to rely heavily on Russian nuclear fuel. Shipping records reveal that enriched uranium from Russia continues to flow to Canadian-owned Westinghouse Electric Company in the United States, underscoring Russia’s persistent dominance in the global nuclear supply chain. Although the U.S. enacted a formal ban on Russian enriched uranium imports in August 2024, the legislation includes provisions for waivers when alternative sources are unavailable or national interests are at stake—exemptions that will remain valid until January 1, 2028.
Recent trade data highlights the ongoing scale of these shipments. In March 2026, approximately 50,612 kilograms of enriched uranium packed into four containers were delivered from Russian state exporter Tenex via the Port of Baltimore to Westinghouse’s fuel manufacturing facility in South Carolina. Figures from the Bellona Environmental Transparency Center show that the U.S. imported roughly 400 metric tons of low-enriched uranium from Russia in 2025 alone, valued at nearly $1 billion. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Russia controls about 44 percent of global uranium enrichment capacity and supplies 20 to 30 percent of the enriched uranium used across American and European power reactors.
While Canada’s current fleet of 16 CANDU reactors—15 in Ontario and one in New Brunswick—utilizes natural unenriched uranium, future Small Modular Reactor (SMR) deployments will necessitate enriched fuel. This impending transition is increasing pressure on Canada and its Western allies to build independent fuel processing networks. However, neither Canada nor its international partners have placed sanctions on Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation, Rosatom, or its export arm, Tenex. Nuclear energy experts and Ukrainian advocacy groups continue to call for an immediate curtailment of these commercial ties, warning that Western payments directly fortify Moscow’s nuclear sector and wartime economy.
