A new pact with the United States has been hailed by the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation, who says it opens huge possibilities for trade. The nuclear pact will allow commercial deals on civilian projects without the express consent of either go
“Before we had this agreement nothing that has anything to do with nuclear technologies could cross the borders of our two countries,” said Sergey Kirienko, General Director of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom. “But this document opens wide opportunity for co-operation on U.S. and Russian soil and even in third party states,” he noted. The deal's not passed yet – it ran into immediate trouble on Capitol Hill where two senators said they would try to block it as it could hurt efforts to stop Iran gaining nuclear weapons. But the Bush administration insists Russia and the U.S. are thinking alike when it comes to nuclear issues, as William Burns, U.S. ambassador to Russia, recently stated. “The U.S. and Russia were once nuclear rivals. Today, we are nuclear partners with unique capabilities and unique responsibilities for global nuclear leadership,” Burns said.