Effort to counter nuclear smuggling 

KYIV – U.S. and Ukrainian officials met on June 24 in Kyiv to discuss progress on a bilateral agreement to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to nuclear and radiological smuggling. The day-long meeting, led on the U.S. side by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Programs Simon Limage and on the Ukrainian side by First Deputy Head of the State Border Guard Service Vasyl Servatiuk, focused on the countries’ joint efforts to implement the counter nuclear smuggling joint action plan signed by Ukraine and the U.S. in January 2006. The action plan includes efforts to secure nuclear and radiological materials in Ukraine, strengthen the regulatory and legal infrastructures that control their use, improve security at Ukraine’s borders, and enhance Ukraine’s capacity to investigate and prosecute nuclear smuggling cases. Recognizing the importance of a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to countering nuclear smuggling, meeting participants included representatives from several Ukrainian ministries and corresponding U.S. government agencies. The Ukrainian delegation underscored the importance of broadening and deepening cooperation with the U.S. in this area given Russia’s occupation of Crimea and its continued aggression in eastern Ukraine. The delegations exchanged views on the current threat of nuclear smuggling in the region and identified areas in which the two governments might work together more closely. Given international seizures of weapon-usable nuclear material, which suggest that additional materials could be available in illegal circulation, the delegations noted the importance of continued vigilance to ensure these dangerous materials do not fall into the hands of terrorists or other criminals who might use them for malicious purposes. (U.S. Embassy Kyiv)