Bangladesh has expressed its openness to cooperating with the US on nuclear power, even as it resists ratifying a reciprocal trade deal signed with Washington by the country’s previous interim government, which constrains its ability to conduct foreign policy and trade. 

“We are positive,” Bangladeshi junior foreign minister Shama Obaed Islam said on Monday. However, she added: “If any agreement with the US is beneficial for our bilateral relations and is in the interest of Bangladesh and its economy, we will proceed. If not, we will reconsider.”

US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor made the nuclear proposal to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman during a visit to Dhaka last week. His visit was seen as an attempt to pressure the country to ratify and comply with the Agreement to Reciprocal Trade (ART) signed in February, just before the country’s elections. 

The interim government agreed to buy 14 Boeing aircraft for about $3.7 billion following pressure from the Trump administration to boost its exports to Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s bilateral trade with the US was about $12 billion in 2024, primarily driven by the South Asian country’s apparel and textile exports.

However, the Trump administration also tacked on provisions that restricted Dhaka’s freedom to do business with nations labeled as “non-market economies,” which covers its longstanding partners Russia and China. 

Under the ART, higher tariffs will snap into place if Dhaka enters into any new bilateral free trade agreement or preferential economic agreement with a non-market country. It also restricts Bangladesh from buying any new nuclear reactors, fuel rods, or enriched uranium from a country that jeopardizes US interests. 

Gor’s nuclear cooperation proposal comes months after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the commissioning process of the country’s first nuclear power plant – built and financed by Russia.

The $12.8 billion Rooppur facility, built by Russian energy giant Rosatom, is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant and the most expensive infrastructure project in the South Asian country’s history.

The 2,400 MW plant is nearing commercial power generation even as the US sanctions on Russia are making payments difficult for Dhaka.

China is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner, with $22 billion in bilateral trade annually. 

The government is not feeling “pressured” about the ART, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told the media after meeting Gor.

“We will never strengthen relations with one country at the expense of another,” he said, according to local media reports. “We seek to strengthen our relations with all countries while protecting and advancing Bangladesh’s national interests.”

Gor’s proposal is being reviewed by Bangladesh’s science and technology ministry.