Uganda is seeking Russian assistance to develop East Africa’s first commercial nuclear power station, president Yoweri Museveni said.

Museveni held talks this week with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who has been on a four-nation tour of Africa.

Uganda has “a lot” of uranium, essential for power generation and for biotechnology, Museveni told reporters in Entebbe, southwest of the capital, Kampala.

Reuters reported that he said Uganda has no reason to criticise Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Speaking alongside Lavrov, Museveni praised Russia as a partner in the struggle against colonialism going back a century.