As you may have heard, Kiriyenko and Burns “signed”:http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/may/104400.htm the Agreement for Cooperation in the Field of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy today in Moscow. (“RIA Novosti”:http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080506/106730497.html) I’ll update this post with more links later on. For now, here is the corresponding “Rosatom press release”:http://www.rosatom.com/en/news/9811_06.05.2008.

The White House also issued a “press release”:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080506-5.html stating that the “President is pleased” at the signing of the 123 Agreement, which

bq. “will provide a framework for potential commercial sales of civil nuclear commodities to Russia by U.S companies… [and] pave the way for further cooperation under both bilateral and multinational programs and initiatives on nuclear energy and nonproliferation, such as the July 2007 U.S.-Russia Declaration on Nuclear Energy and Nonproliferation and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).”

Check out the “Presidential Determination 2008-19″:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080506-4.html, which states…

bq. *”I have determined that the performance of the Agreement will promote, and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security.* Pursuant to section 123 b. of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2153(b)), I hereby approve the proposed Agreement and authorize the Secretary of State to arrange for its execution.”

Also, chew on a great Nuclear Threat Initiative “issue brief on the U.S.-Russian 123”:http://www.nti.org/e_research/e3_78.html that a CNS colleague wrote some time back.