Europe is still quietly importing Russian nuclear energy

Key Points

• Russia's nuclear fuel industry remains conspicuously untouched by European sanctions more than seven months into the Kremlin's war in Ukraine
• Despite eight rounds of sanctions, shipments of nuclear fuel to EU member states continue to make their way from Russia.
• Ariadna Rodrigo, EU sustainable finance manager at environmental group Greenpeace, told CNBC that it is absolute madness for the bloc to continue bankrolling the Kremlin by ignoring Russian nuclear trade.

Russia is a dominant player in the global nuclear market.

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Russia's nuclear fuel industry remains conspicuously untouched by European sanctions more than seven months into the Kremlin's war in Ukraine much to the dismay of Kyiv officials and environmental campaigners.

Despite eight rounds of sanctions, targeted measures against energy exports and calls from Ukraine to impose a full embargo on nuclear trade, shipments of nuclear fuel to EU member states continue to make their way from Russia.

Ariadna Rodrigo, EU sustainable finance manager at environmental group Greenpeace, told CNBC via telephone that it is absolute madness for the bloc to continue bankrolling the Kremlin by ignoring Russia's nuclear fuel trade.

If EU governments are serious about stopping war, they need to cut the European nuclear industry's umbilical cord to the Kremlin and focus instead on accelerating energy savings and renewables, Rodrigo said.

On presenting its latest sanctions package, the European Commission did not propose targeting the trade of Russian nuclear fuel. The EU's executive arm has previously targeted Russian oil, gas and coal as part of a broader strategy to ratchet up the economic pressure on the Kremlin.