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Media: coup in Niger may prevent new EU sanctions against Russia
[Regnum] The coup in Niger in the short term will prevent the European Union from imposing new sanctions on Russia, Politico writes on August 1.
The material notes that the military, who seized power in the African country, unilaterally banned the export of uranium to France. According to Politico, these actions raise concerns not only regarding the energy security of the French state, but also of other EU members.
To date, the publication points out, Europe has been able to significantly reduce the supply of coal, gas and oil from Russia, but with nuclear energy "a completely different story." It is not yet possible to announce restrictions against the nuclear sector, since many European states oppose the imposition of sanctions.
Against this background, the article says, over the past year, Russia has achieved growth in exports of nuclear resources and technologies to the level of one billion dollars.
Niger is the seventh largest producer of uranium in the world and the second largest in Africa (after Namibia), it contains the deposits of the highest grade uranium ores on the entire continent.
As IA Regnum reported , on the night of July 27, a group of military men in Niger announced a coup d'état and the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazum . On July 30, leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa announced that if President Bazum did not return to power within a week, military action would be taken against the rebels. At the same time, the representatives of Burkina Faso and Mali said they would consider the invasion of Niger a declaration of war on their countries.
Meanwhile, the military that seized power in Niger announced that they were suspending the export of uranium to France, while accusing Paris of intending to restore the power of the ousted President Bazum by military means.
More from regnum.ru
US saw no evidence of Russian involvement in the coup in Niger
The American authorities do not see any evidence of Russia's involvement in the coup in Niger, John Kirby , the coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council (NSC) of the White House, said at a briefing on August 1.
“Frankly, in our opinion, there is no evidence that Russia is behind this, that Russia is financially supporting this in any way or actually giving any support to this, and that Russia is in any way responsible for what is happening,” admitted Kirby.
Asked by a journalist about the possibility of a coup in other countries, Kirby noted that he could not talk about any "domino effect". “We don’t see that now,” he added.
Kirby also said that the US will conduct a thorough assessment of the continuation of US assistance to Niger. “We made it very clear to the leadership of Niger what the consequences could be in this case if US support is lost. But no decisions have been made yet,” he stressed.
According to him, the US contingent in Niger, which includes about a thousand people, does not plan to participate in "evacuation activities of other countries", and the US is not going to deploy additional forces in Niger either.
As reported by IA Regnum , on the night of July 27, a group of military men in Niger went on national television, announcing a coup d'état and the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazum . On July 30, leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa announced that if President Bazum did not return to power within a week, military action would be taken against the rebels.
At the same time, the representatives of Burkina Faso and Mali said they would consider the invasion of Niger a declaration of war on their countries.
Meanwhile, the French authorities announced their intention to evacuate their citizens from Niger, as well as citizens of other European countries. Now they are deprived of the opportunity to leave the country on their own, the French Foreign Ministry noted.
Yet more from regnum.ru
Kyiv accuses Russia of coup in Niger
They would.
Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, accused Russia of a coup in Niger. He wrote about this on Twitter.
“It is already absolutely clear that Russia is behind the so-called ‘military coup’ in Niger,” he wrote.
In his opinion, this is allegedly evidenced by the support for the coup in Niger by the "pro-Russian" countries of Mali and Burkina Faso.
As reported by IA Regnum , on the night of July 27, a group of military men in Niger announced a coup d'état and the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazum.
The military who carried out the coup in Niger accused France (whose zone of influence traditionally included its former colonies in West Africa, including Niger) of intending to launch a military operation to free ousted President Mohamed Bazum.
Yet again, more from regnum.ru
Experts expect a rise in uranium prices after the suspension of exports from Niger
Uranium prices began to rise after the decision of the military seized power in Niger to stop exporting uranium to France, reports Reuters on August 1 , citing research company UxC.
The growth is still insignificant (56.25 dollars per pound instead of 56.15 a week earlier), but this is due to the presence of long-term supply contracts, in the coming weeks the situation may noticeably change, said the head of UxC, Jonathan Hinze.
“Everything points to the fact that (what happened in Niger. - Approx. ed.) Will serve as a catalyst for increasing prices for uranium, given the overall tight balance of supply and demand that currently exists,” the expert said.
Earlier, the military, who seized power in Niger, announced that they were suspending the export of uranium to France, while accusing Paris of intending to restore the power of ousted Niger President Mohamed Bazum by military means.
French government officials said they were not considering a military intervention in the situation, while the leaders of the nuclear fuel company Orano, which operates uranium mines in Niger, noted that there were no changes in their activities after the events in Niger.
On the night of July 27, a military group in Niger announced a coup d'etat and the overthrow of President Bazum. On July 30, leaders of the Economic Community of West Africa announced that if President Bazum did not return to power within a week, military action would be taken against the rebels. At the same time, the representatives of Burkina Faso and Mali said they would consider the invasion of Niger a declaration of war on their countries.
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