Mr Putin described as a serious step towards solving the problem of nuclear waste disposal in Russia, the State Duma’s ratification of the multilateral nuclear environmental programme that lays the legal ground work for cooperation with foreign partners in the disposal of obsolete Russian nuclear submarines. The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry has already signed contracts with foreign representatives to the tune of $100 million.
At the same time, Russia intends to continue its own work on disposing of nuclear equipment. This year’s budget has allocated 2 billion roubles for the purpose.
Other aspects of nuclear security and prospects for the development of the nuclear industry were discussed.
Taking part in the meeting were the Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev, Deputy Chief Academic Secretary of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the radiochemistry laboratory at the Vernadsky Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry Institute Academician Boris Myasoyedov, Associate Member of the RAS and President of the Russian Environment Policy Centre Alexander Yablokov, the head of the Yabloko party in the State Duma Grigory Yavlinsky and Yabloko Duma deputy Sergei Mitrokhin.