The article examines the involvement of Russia and the United States in the global nuclear energy market, in particular, the activities of the competing corporations Rosatom and Westinghouse. The paper analyses the importance of state support in the development of the nuclear industry and international rivalry between Russia and the United States in various regions of the world. In Russia, the state provides full-fledged political and economic support to the corporation, which increases its competitiveness. In the United States, on the other hand, the nuclear industry is in stagnation due to the fact that it is concentrated in private hands and competes for government support with other energy sources producers. The second part is devoted to the rivalry over the construction of nuclear power plants and fuel supplies, with the influence of political interests on the market situation examined in detail. Particular attention is paid to the Eastern European market. Not only direct political contradictions and diplomatic pressure play a role there, but also the EU legal requirement to diversify the suppliers makes it possible for Westinghouse to gain a share of the Russian fuel supplies market. The third part of the article studies the key cases of bilateral nuclear cooperation at the state and enterprise level. The countries have signed several mutually beneficial agreements related to disarmament and nuclear waste disposal. At the corporate level, there are several initiatives of various sizes. These cases are examples of interaction despite political contradictions. In the case of improving bilateral relations, there is a huge field for expanding cooperation.