Russia to build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev have held talks and signed a number of agreements aimed at deepening bilateral relations, including one that envisions Moscow building a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country. If the agreement is implemented, the plant will become the first in Central Asia, further increasing Russia’s influence in the region. The talks took place in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, where the Russian leader traveled on Sunday in his third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth presidential term. He first went to China, where he expressed appreciation for China’s proposals for talks to end the Ukraine conflict, and later to Belarus where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.