Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow should consider limiting exports of uranium, titanium and nickel in retaliation for Western sanctions.

The Chinese government has denied allegations that it is helping Russia evade a U.S. ban on Russian uranium imports. The U.S. Department of Energy is investigating whether China is using Russian uranium,

The U.S. has a couple of options to push back against the shipments if it finds that China is circumventing the ban, though either one could take time. It could either boost tariffs on imports of enriched uranium from China, which currently stand at 7.5%, or Congress could expand the ban on uranium from Russia to include China.

The U.S. government is probing whether China is supporting Russia's nuclear industry by importing enriched uranium from its neighbor and exporting its own production to the U.S., which recently banned Russian uranium imports,

US officials fear China may be importing enriched uranium from Russia and exporting its own production to the US. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Washington fears Russia is sending large quantities of enriched uranium to China in an effort to evade sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden's administration is probing a surge in imports of enriched uranium from China since late 2023 amid concerns the shipments are helping Moscow sidestep a U.S. ban on imports of the power plant fuel from Russia,

The United States has observed a sharp increase in enriched uranium imports from China since the end of 2023. US officials suspect that China helps Russia circumvent sanctions, according to Reuters. As Reuters reports,