Russia and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement for Moscow to build a small nuclear power plant in the Central Asian country.
The agreement was one of several deals signed on May 27 in Tashkent between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Uzbek counterpart, Shavkat Mirziyoev.
The Uzbek leader hailed the project as "vital" in a statement released by his press service after the talks, noting that Uzbekistan had "its own large reserves of uranium."
Meanwhile, Putin vowed to "do everything in order to work effectively" on Uzbekistan’s nuclear energy market.
If the agreement is enacted, the nuclear plant will become the first in Central Asia, further cementing Russia's influence in the region.
Putin said Russia would inject $400 million into a joint investment fund of $500 million to finance projects in Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoev also said Tashkent was interested in buying more oil and gas from Russia, a reversal of decades-long practice where Moscow imported hydrocarbons from Central Asia.
The Russian president pledged to increase gas deliveries to Uzbekistan.
Putin and Mirziyoev also discussed migration, with the Russian leader reassuring the Uzbek president that his government would ensure good working conditions and provide social protection for migrant workers from Uzbekistan.
Putin arrived in Tashkent on May 26 and was greeted at the airport by Mirziyoev.
International investigations have identified Uzbekistan as one of the main entry points into Russia for goods that are subject to sanctions. Putin has traveled sparingly since he launched Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin's trip to Uzbekistan is his third foreign trip since being inaugurated for a fifth presidential term earlier this month.
He previously traveled to China, where he welcomed China’s proposals for talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Putin later traveled to Belarus, an ally where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.