President Trump Selling U.S. Energy This Week

The small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) trade may take center stage at the start of this week as the U.S. and U.K. prepare to announce a major nuclear power pact during President Trump’s two-day visit beginning Tuesday. Within this pact, several SMR announcements are expected, most notably a collaboration between U.S. nuclear company X-Energy and Britain’s Centrica, which could lead to the construction of up to 12 modular nuclear reactors across the U.K.

 As of early reports, there has been no indication that publicly traded SMR firms such as Oklo (OKLO) or NuScale Power (SMR) will be directly involved in the deals. Still, enthusiasm surrounding the sector may spark trading interest and heightened volume. The bullish outlook for SMRs stems from surging power demand to fuel the rapid expansion of data centers. In Europe and the U.K., however, the push extends beyond data infrastructure—it’s also driven by the urgent need to reduce reliance on Russian energy, one of the central issues arising from the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

This brings us to another energy source President Trump has been passively promoting to NATO members over the weekend, U.S. oil.

 Over the weekend, Trump stated in a lengthy post on the Russia–Ukraine conflict that he is “ready to do major sanctions on Russia… when all NATO nations stop buying oil from Russia.” That is a tall order given NATO’s energy mix. Such a realignment would likely push oil prices higher and narrow the spread between Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate. It would also require countries like Turkey and Hungary, both heavily reliant on Russian oil, natural gas, and related products, to yield to U.S. demands, a scenario that appears highly improbable.

 For context, in 2024 Russia supplied roughly 70% of Turkey’s seaborne crude imports and about 40% of its natural gas. This deep dependence highlights how difficult it would be to replace Russian fuel in the short term. Still, some NATO members may signal openness to gradually reducing imports, though it’s equally possible that this becomes a “red line” demand by the Trump administration, an unlikely target that nevertheless sets the stage for moderating expectations around broader NATO support should a direct conflict with Russia emerge.

 Either way, energy—both nuclear and oil—will be at the forefront of the geopolitical and market conversation this week.

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