Ukraine Wants to Produce Own Nuclear Fuel

[jpak]

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-eur/2006/jan/13/011305262.html

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Friday that his country should produce its own nuclear fuel for power plants, part of the West-leaning leader's effort to reduce its reliance on Russia following a dispute over natural gas prices.

"We must change our uranium policy - our policy on the use of uranium for peaceful purposes," Yushchenko said on national television. "We must cooperate with international allies on a serious political and economic level so that we can have a full cycle of processing and production of nuclear fuel."

Yushchenko's call could put his Western allies in an awkward position as they seek to balance the desire to help Ukraine shed Russian influence with concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation and their campaign to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions.

<snip>

Yushchenko's call for a nuclear cycle poses "a dilemma for the Bush administration," said Edwin Lyman, senior staff scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a private nuclear proliferation watchdog group. "This is an ally. They want to support an independent Ukraine that can stand up to Russia ... but it would violate this policy that Bush has proposed."

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[wtmusic]

1. It's OK, they US has the moral high ground, they'll follow our lead

oh, we don't? Nevermind.

[enigma000]

2. Well the Ukrainians already gave up their old Soviet era nukes

I mean, they DISARMED and RELINQUISHED their nukes which is rare. Having done that, what's the risk?

[Gloria]

3. Well, will they get bombed, too???

[pinerow]

4. Oh...that should work out just fine given their Stalinist

and fascist past...sheesh

[Posteritatis]

5. Ukraine wasn't exactly a willing participant in its Stalinist past. (n/t)

[pinerow]

6. But they were very willing participants in their

fascist past...

[Posteritatis]

8. What, three generations back?

Yeah, they're still so very collectively and currently responsible for that.

[MisterP]

9. naw, just UNA-UNSO and their buds

[Zynx]

7. Russia's never going to put up with that.

They went to great lengths to get the nukes out of all the former SSR's.