In January, European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen announced that the European Commission was drafting a ban on the import of nuclear products from Russia to the EU. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev later said that a possible ban on Russian nuclear fuel purchases would jeopardize Europe's nuclear safety.
"The current nuclear fuel supply contract is the result of long-term technical decisions and safety agreements, and its sudden termination could jeopardize the stability of electricity generation. Therefore, Slovakia is acting pragmatically – simultaneously working to diversify its nuclear fuel suppliers while ensuring the safe and uninterrupted operation of its nuclear power plants. Decisions in this area must be based on professional, not ideological, criteria," Gaspar told Russian media.
In January, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that his country had signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement with the United States, which could enable the construction of a new power unit by the US company Westinghouse at the existing nuclear power plant in Jaslovske Bohunice.