Bush's initiative may scuttle Indo-Russian n-ties

US President George W Bush's new proliferation security initiative may scuttle the ongoing Indo-Russian cooperation under which Moscow is building the Kudankulam nuclear power plant and puts a question mark on such future projects, said an influential Russian daily.

US President George W Bush's new Proliferation Security Initiative may scuttle the ongoing Indo-Russian cooperation under which Moscow is building the Kudankulam nuclear power plant and puts a question mark on such future projects, said an influential Russian daily.

HT Image

"Moscow has just to stop and think. For instance, Russia supplies nuclear fuel to India. But India not only enriches nuclear fuel itself but also possesses nuclear weapons, though it has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," said the 'Nezavismaya Gazeta' a Russian daily.

"So if the US President's ideas are implemented, Russia will have to cease peaceful atomic cooperation with India, letting alone Iran," it said.

Under the deal with the ex-Soviet Union in 1988, Russia is building Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu which would have two 1000 MW light water reactors. Moscow is also to supply nuclear fuel for it in the coming two decades.

Talking to PTI here on conditions of anonymity, official sources here did not 'hypothetically' rule out interception of supplies for the power plant on the high seas by the US or allied warships if Bush's new initiative comes into force.

Though, Moscow is yet to formally articulate official stance on Bush's initiative, earlier, it had made clear that Russia would be guided by national interests while subscribing to anti-proliferation steps mooted by US.