Arms Control & Non Proliferation

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08 September 2008
United States Withdraws Russian Nuclear Agreement

By David McKeeby
Staff Writer

Related:
 • Statement by Secretary Rice on U.S.-Russia 123 Agreement

Washington — President Bush has withdrawn a U.S.-Russian civil nuclear cooperation agreement that was under consideration by Congress.

The decision to withdraw the legislation, once billed as the cornerstone of a new era of nuclear cooperation between the United States and Russia, was made “in view of recent actions by the Government of the Russian Federation incompatible with peaceful relations with its sovereign and democratic neighbor Georgia,” according to a September 8 White House statement.

Signed in May by then-Ambassador William Burns and Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia’s nuclear energy agency, the U.S.-Russia Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation, also known as a “123 Agreement,” was the product of two years of intensive negotiation. If approved, it would have opened up billions of dollars of new partnership opportunities for the U.S. and Russian nuclear power industries. It would also have cleared the way for Russia to realize billions more by allowing the import and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

The agreement is subject to congressional approval, which observers agree would be virtually impossible to secure in the wake of Russia’s August 8 military offensive on its southern neighbor.

“This was a wise decision on the administration’s part,” said Representative Howard L. Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Given what has happened in the Republic of Georgia during the past month, Congress has little appetite at the moment for new and sweeping measures that would assist Russia.”

Moreover, by withdrawing the 123 agreement from congressional consideration now, the White House avoids its rejection and can save the deal for the next administration to send back to Congress should relations with Russia improve.

“We make this decision with regret,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a separate statement. “Unfortunately, given the current environment, the time is not right for this agreement. We will re-evaluate the situation at a later date as we follow developments closely.”

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the move reflects Washington’s action to re-evaluate its relations with Moscow following the attack on Georgia. U.S. Embassy officials in Moscow have alerted the Russian government of the decision, he added.

“Even if this is only a de facto sanction,” Columbia University professor and former State Department official Stephen Sestanovich told the Washington Post, “the Russians have to ask themselves, is this a part of a negative reaction to what they have done that is only going to get bigger if they don't retreat.”

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