Rosatom CEO says South Korea shows 'great interest' in nuclear cooperation with Russia

The CEO of Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom said Wednesday (local time) that South Korea is willing to cooperate with Russia in the nuclear energy sector.

Alexei Likhachev, speaking to Russian broadcaster Vesti on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, said he was witnessing "hostile attitudes from some Western countries." He added that some nations were imposing sanctions on Russia due to "enormous political pressure," naming South Korea as one of them.

Likhachev cited earlier remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin — that Russia has "not hostile nations and peoples, but hostile rulers and governments" — and said, "If these governments and countries extend a friendly hand to us, we will never refuse."

"In this context, we are cooperating carefully and gradually with partners including South Korea," he said, describing South Korea as a nuclear power with "great ambitions in international markets" that is showing "great interest" in nuclear cooperation.

He also said South Korea "knows who is leading the trends in the international market and naturally wants to have friendly relations with us."

The EEF is an annual forum hosted by the Russian government under the banner of promoting economic development in East Asia and cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent Ambassador to Russia Lee Seok-bae to the forum — the first time Seoul has dispatched a senior envoy to the event since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. South Korea had previously sent high-level delegations to the EEF but scaled back its representation after the war began, sending lower-ranking officials such as an economic minister-counselor or the consul general in Vladivostok.