Due to US pressure on Bangladesh, equipment delivery for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been delayed by more than a month. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated as much on February 1 in Moscow. She provided the example of the Russian flagship Ursa Major at the time. She stated that Bangladesh permitted the ship's arrival. Later, however, under pressure from the United States, Bangladesh revoked this authorization.

On February 2, the Russian Embassy in Dhaka issued the following statement on its Facebook page.

“We hear so much from the collective West that they are acting in ‘solidarity,’ or it is the ‘shared opinion’ or ‘unanimous.’ We have repeatedly suggested that apparently, they do not understand what ‘solidarity’ is. I have a new term for this. I would term what we are now seeing across the European Union and NATO ‘forced solidarity.’ This is an oxymoron of course." a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said in the statement titled "US practice of making neutral countries join anti-Russia sanctions”.

“Solidarity is something that comes from the soul, from the heart, from one's own analysis. It is about people of different views showing unity on an issue absolutely voluntarily and independently. What we see now is truly ‘forced solidarity.’” she added.

“Driven by an obsessive urge to cause the worst possible harm to Russia, the United States is increasingly resorting to threats of secondary sanctions to coerce neutral states into cutting off ties with Russia. They call it ‘solidarity:’ ‘This country is acting in solidarity with us.’ Later it turns out that the country was subjected to a psychological attack that included threats of various methods of pressure such as freezing accounts, or arrests. Not many can endure such inhuman pressure. People, countries, leaders of states can break.” Maria Zakharova continued.

“No, this is not solidarity. This is blackmail and threats, which are used to break people, politicians, and thereby force them to accept a concept alien to them. Not all of our partners have been able to resist such flagrant blackmail.” she stressed.

“As a specific example was the December 2022 incident where the Russian ship Ursa Major was denied a berth in Bangladesh. The authorities withdrew their previously issued permit to enter the port of Mongla as required by the Americans. The incident delayed the delivery of a batch of equipment for the Rooppur NPP under construction by more than a month, which is hardly in the Bangladeshi side’s best interests.” Zakharova added.

“We believe that US attempts to force third countries to join the anti-Russia sanctions are completely devoid of legitimacy and must be stopped.” she concluded.