If we taken your premise on it's face, Russia already is #2, even perhaps #1 if we consider unproved as yet oil and gas reserves all over and within Russia proper.
Obviously THE WASHINGTON POST thinks that 20% of it's uranium coming from Ukraine is critical to Russia atomic power plants and atomic powered Russian ships.
But here again Russia has lots of Uranium and the unanswerable question now is how large might Russia's unproven uranium supply be?
This largely leaves missiles and missiles related guidance and technology systems. Under US and Russian Arms Reduction Treaties from the late 1980s, early 1990s Russia has been or supposed to have been dismantling and reducing atomic weaponry, verifiably, with US and allied open inspections allowed under that specific Treaty for all time to come.
The US, to bring all readers here up to date, even with our squabbling over the Canadian to Houston, Texas refineries transcontinental oil lines, has open up the taps and dug new oil and gas wells to the point that we, the US, if we stopped exporting to the rest of the world yesterday would be 100% self sufficient, and building a huge oil and gas reserve "Yesterday."
Prior US foreign policy on oil and gas lacked the degree, level and huge new finds of oil and natural gas across the USA when the old foreign policy was to "protect" our and allied oil and gas sources in the Middle East.
But, we owe it to our friends and allies, which definitely includes the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East to help protect THEIR oil and gas supplies both for their internal use AND for the benefit of our friends and allies, worldwide.
The Iraq War had several basic reasons, listed heretofore in the form of passed but violated/ignored numerous UN Resolutions "against" Iraq.
Here is a list of Saddam Hussein violations of UN Resolutions, to include and the big three reasons for the allied invasion of Saddam's Treaty breaking nation, wherein Saddam was in the process of slaughtering the Marsh People in the south of and inside Iraq and in the North the Kurds inside of and a part of Iraq. If you choose to "discount" weapons of mass destruction, you need to understand that the several UN Violations regarding Iraq still building and having for use certain types of missiles with warhead capabilities ARE included in the weapons of mass destruction definition, often overlooked by those who want to blame the world's problems on the West and the US:
Portal:United Nations Security Council Resolutions
The
United Nations Security Council (
UNSC) is the organ of the
United Nations charged with maintaining
peace and
security among
nations. While other organs of the United Nations only make recommendations to member
governments, the Security Council has the power to make decisions which member governments are obliged to carry out under the
United Nations Charter. The decisions of the Council are known as
United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
There have been three major events in Iraq's history for which the UN has passed numerous resolutions: the
Iran–Iraq War, the
Persian Gulf War, and the
Iraq disarmament crisis leading up to and following the
2003 invasion of Iraq.
Iraq related resolutions[edit]
ResolutionDateVoteConcerns
47928 September 1980UnanimousNoted the beginning of the
Iran–Iraq War.
51412 July 1982UnanimousCalled for an end to the Iran–Iraq War.
5224 October 1982UnanimousCalled for an end to the Iran–Iraq War.
54031 October 198312-0-3Condemned violations of international law in the Iran–Iraq War.
58224 February 1986Unanimous"Deplores" the use of
chemical weapons in the Iran–Iraq War.
5888 October 1986UnanimousCalled for the implementation of resolution 582.
59820 July 1987UnanimousDemanded an immediate cease-fire between Iran and Iraq; requested that the
UN Secretary-General start an investigation to determine how the conflict started.
6129 May 1988Condemned the use of
chemical weapons in the Iran–Iraq War, but did not single out Iraq as the only side to use them. Instead, the resolution said that the Security Council, "Expects both sides to refrain from the future use of chemical weapons."
6199 August 1988Created
UNIIMOG to observe the implementation of a cease-fire for the Iran–Iraq War. Extended by resolutions
631,
642,
651,
671,
676 and
685. Terminated 28 February 1991.
62026 August 1988Condemned the use of chemical weapons in the Iran–Iraq War.
6602 August 199014-0-1,
YemenabstainingCondemned the
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and demanded a withdrawal of Iraqi troops. Supported by resolutions
662,
664,
665,
666,
667,
669,
670,
674, and
677.
6616 August 199013-0-2;
Cuba, YemenPlaced
economic sanctions on Iraq in response to the invasion of Kuwait.
67829 November 199012-2-1Authorized use of force against Iraq to "uphold and implement resolution 660 and all subsequent resolutions and to restore international peace and security in the area".
6862 March 199111-1-3Demanded Iraq's acceptance of all previous resolutions concerning the war with Kuwait.
6873 April 199112-1-2Formal ceasefire ending the
Persian Gulf War, with the conditions that Iraq:
6885 April 1991Condemned the
repression of
Iraqi Kurds.
70715 August 1991Demands immediate, complete, full compliance with UNSCR 687.
71511 October 1991Approves
United Nations Special Commission on Iraq and
International Atomic Energy Agency inspection provisions.
83327 May 1993Acknowledges clarifications of Iraq-Kuwait border and
United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM).
8994 March 1994Compensation payments to Iraqi private citizens whose assets remained on Kuwaiti territory following the demarcation of the Iraq-Kuwait border.
94915 October 1994Condemned the Iraqi military buildup on Kuwaiti border.
98614 April 1995Created the
Oil-for-Food Programme. Supported by
resolution 1111.
105127 March 1996UnanimousCreated a mechanism to monitor Iraqi "dual use" import and exports.
106012 June 1996UnanimousDemands Iraq allow access to sites, weapons, transport and equipment by
United Nations Special Commission weapons inspectors.
128417 December 199911-0-4Changed the Iraqi inspection program from
UNSCOM to
UNMOVIC.
14418 November 2002UnanimousGave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its
disarmament obligations". After
Hans Blix of UNMOVIC reported to the UN on 7 March 2003, the
US,
UK, and other members of the "
coalition of the willing" declared that Iraq remained in
material breach of resolution 687. Efforts aimed at a new Council resolution authorizing the invasion were aborted owing to resistance from other members of the Council including
veto-wielding members. Iraq was
invaded anyway, on 20 March.
148322 May 200314-0-1,
SyriaabstainingRecognized the US and the UK as
occupying powers under
international law, with legitimate authority in Iraq. Removed
economic sanctions imposed during the
Gulf War.
150014 August 200314-0-1, Syria abstainingCreated the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq as a special representative of the
UN Secretary General. Extended by resolutions
1557,
1619, and
1700.
15468 June 2004UnanimousEndorsed the dissolution of the
Coalition Provisional Authority in favor of the
Iraqi Interim Government as a step toward
democracy.
172318 November 2006UnanimousExtended the mandate for
Multinational Force Iraq until 31 December 2007.
179018 December 2007Extended the mandate for
Multinational Force Iraq until 31 December 2008.