Russia terminates nuclear plutonium agreement with US

Members of the State Duma have withdrawn from an agreement with the United States on eliminating weapons-grade plutonium no longer used for defence purposes. 

The deal, signed in 2000 and ratified in 2011, stipulated that each side would dispose of 34 tons of plutonium, Caliber.Az reports, citing the website of the Russian State Duma.

The bill to terminate the accord was submitted by the Russian government, which also proposed cancelling all related protocols covering financing, civil liability, and plutonium disposal through irradiation in nuclear reactors. 

An explanatory note indicated the document had already been suspended due to Western sanctions, the US law on assistance to Ukraine, NATO’s expansion, and a greater American military presence in Eastern Europe. Another reason for the termination was Washington’s unilateral attempt to alter the disposal process without Russia’s consent. 

The accompanying documents noted that the US had failed to meet any conditions required to resume the agreement and had taken new actions against Russia that shifted the strategic balance and heightened threats to stability.

By Khagan Isayev