Russia and Uzbekistan sign agreements for nuclear power plant construction
- Russian President Putin and Uzbekistan leader Mirziyoyev signed agreements for enhancing bilateral relations.
- One of the key agreements includes the construction of a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan by Russia.
- The deal marks a significant step towards closer cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector.
Russia and Uzbekistan agreed to build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan. This happened when Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan's capital. Mirziyoyev said the project is important because Uzbekistan has a lot of uranium. Putin promised to help Uzbekistan with its nuclear energy market. If the agreement goes through, this plant would be the first of its kind in Central Asia, making Russia more influential in the region. The plan is to build six reactors with a total capacity of 330 megawatts. Originally, they were considering a plant with a larger capacity of 2.4 gigawatts. Putin also pledged to send more gas to Uzbekistan. The meeting between Putin and Mirziyoyev took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. This was part of Putin's third foreign trip since starting his fifth term as president. He first visited China to discuss ending the Ukraine conflict, then went to Belarus where Russia has nuclear weapons. These trips show Russia's efforts to gain support amidst tensions with the West over Ukraine.