EU enriched uranium imports from Russia rise as region seeks to curb dependence

A sharp increase in Russian enriched uranium exports to the EU in early 2026 has reignited debate over Europe's ability to move away from Russian nuclear fuel, with Moscow portraying the jump as evidence of continued dependence.

Analysts, however, cautioned that the surge is unlikely to represent a change in the bloc's long-term uranium and nuclear fuel diversification strategy, and that Russia's share of the market appears to be falling.

The EU's enriched uranium imports from Russia reached Eur163.5 million ($185.9 million) in the period from January to the end of April, compared with Eur20.7 million in the same period the previous year, according to the European Commission's official Eurostat data released June 15.

Despite the surge in deliveries, independent market analysts cautioned against interpreting the increase as a sign of growing EU dependence on Russian enrichment services.

EU countries have been seeking to reduce their dependence on Russian nuclear fuel supplies since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The EU has not banned Russian enriched uranium, although discussions have taken place on doing so. The US has banned such imports starting in 2028 in a bid to give time to invest in replacement non-Russian capacity.

"Nuclear-fuel consignments are large and relatively infrequent, so a single scheduled delivery or one-off spot purchase can materially affect a short-period comparison, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions about changes in a long-term trend," Tim Yeo, chairman of the New Nuclear Watch Institute pro-nuclear power non-governmental organization, said in an email June 24.

For example, this year, April alone accounted for approximately 55% of the Eur163.5 million total, with France accounting for about 86% of the April amount, according to Yeo.

Independent Russian analysts agree that the short-term surge should not be taken as a change in market dynamics.

From a broader market perspective, this looks more like a temporary anomaly rather than a meaningful market trend, Alexander Uvarov, director of Atominfo-Center, a Moscow-based nuclear industry think tank, said in an email June 23, adding that such a spike in shipments may be linked to specific contractual timelines.

Russian state media, argued that the rise in exports shows that, despite earlier promises, the EU has failed to overcome dependence on Russian enriched uranium.

"Experts agree the current situation clearly demonstrates the gap between political declarations and industrial reality," Finance Mail, a state news outlet, said June 21, assuming that building infrastructure sufficient to wean off enriched uranium imports from Russia will take "years and billions of euros."

Europe has effectively trapped itself by scaling back its own production capacity while relying on cheaper Russian supplies, Stanislav Mitrakhovich, an expert at the National Energy Security Fund and the Russian government's Financial University, was quoted by the Finance Mail as saying.

Imports rise, but market share declines

The latest annual data on enrichment services paints a more mixed picture, however.

The latest available Euratom Supply Agency figures show that Russian-origin deliveries increased in absolute terms, from 2.45 million separative work units in 2024 to 2.735 million SWU in 2025, but Russia's share edged down to 22.6% from 23.6%. SWU is a standard measure of enrichment services.

At the same time, EU-origin enrichment deliveries increased from 6.654 million SWU in 2024 to 8.844 million SWU in 2025, raising their share to 72.9% from 64%.

"The ESA also reports that EU utilities have been accumulating nuclear-material inventories and in 2025 continued to purchase more material than they loaded into reactors," Yeo said.

"So, reducing exposure of the EU nuclear operators to Russian supply is not a failed undertaking, as the Russian media seem to claim on the basis of the spikes in trade stats," Yeo added.

However, Russia still has more than 27 million SWU/year of capacity and remains the largest single enrichment supplier and will remain an important supplier for European utilities for the time being.

"That scale makes [Russian state nuclear company] Rosatom one of the few counterparties capable in principle of arranging a large incremental or replacement delivery, although its actual uncommitted capacity is not publicly disclosed and any delivery remains subject to contractual, technical, logistical, and sanctions constraints," Yeo said.

France's Orano and UK-based Urenco have announced expansion of their enrichment facilities in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US in recent years.