The federal government is under pressure to cancel, or at least delay, plans to sell uranium to Russia amid fears it could end up being used to produce nuclear weapons.

The former Howard government struck a deal - estimated to be worth about $1 billion - with Moscow last year to sell uranium to Russia on the proviso it be used for civilian purposes under strict safeguards.

But the parliament's treaties committee is urging the government to delay the deal until Australia can be certain Russia will meet its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Russia's recent incursion into Georgia has further exacerbated concerns about Australian uranium being sent to the region.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the government would take events in Georgia into account when making a decision in due course.

"The government will take into account the merits of the agreement, and recent and ongoing events in Georgia and Australia's bilateral relationship with Russia," he said through a spokeswoman.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd admitted relations with Russia were at a complex and delicate stage.

"If you look back over the last 20 years or so, what has happened in the last couple of months or so in relation to the West's engagement with the Russian Federation, I fear that we are at one of these turning points," he told reporters.

"I think it is very important, very important indeed, that all governments are fully seized of where all this goes long term.

"And that is why this government in Australia, is going to spend a lot of time working our way through the question that you have just put, together with others, on the West's long-term engagement with Russia."

Russia, through its ambassador in Australia, has warned Moscow would view as politically-biased any attempts to back out of the deal.

The Russian embassy was not commenting on Thursday.

Committee chairman Kelvin Thomson said Russia should meet strict criteria for the deal to go ahead and, until then, ratification should be delayed.

Among its recommendations, the committee calls for independent verification that Russia has separated its civilian and miliary nuclear facilities and International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of facilities which will handle the Australian material.

Mr Thomson admitted the committee had set the bar high but noted that the IAEA had not carried out inspections in Russia since about 2001.

He invoked the AWB wheat for weapons scandal to remind the parliament that things could and did go wrong in international trade.

"The Liberal Party is so hungry for the uranium export dollars that they want to believe nothing can go wrong," Mr Thomson said.

"They are prepared to turn a blind eye to what happens after we sell the uranium to Russia.

"If this sounds familiar, that's because it is. Remember the AWB scandal?"

In a dissenting report, coalition MPs and senators, recommend the government go ahead with the deal, confident appropriate safeguards are in place.

Australian Greens senator Scott Ludlam said it was a bad deal for Australia.

"There is no guarantee Australian uranium won't be used to free up Russian domestic uranium for their weapons program," he said.

Australian Conservation Foundation nuclear free campaigner David Noonan said Mr Rudd's new nuclear disarmament commission could benefit from a strong government stand on uranium sales to Russia.

"Scrapping this flawed treaty ... will strengthen Prime Minister Rudd's nuclear disarmament commission in its aim to rid the world of nuclear weapons," he said.