Russia Withdraws From Critical US-Russia Plutonium Disposal Agreement Amid Rising Tensions

Moscow:

Russia's parliament's lower house has approved legislation to withdraw from a significant agreement with the United States designed to reduce massive stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium remaining from Cold War nuclear arsenals.

The Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA), originally signed in 2000, required both nations to dispose of at least 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium each - enough material for approximately 17,000 nuclear warheads according to US officials. The agreement officially took effect in 2011.

A note accompanying Russia's withdrawal legislation stated: "The United States has implemented several new anti-Russian measures that fundamentally alter the strategic balance that existed when the Agreement was formed and create additional threats to strategic stability."

Following the Cold War's conclusion and the dismantling of thousands of nuclear warheads, both Moscow and Washington were left managing enormous stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium that presented both storage challenges and potential proliferation risks.

The PMDA was established to safely dispose of weapons-grade plutonium by converting it to less dangerous forms, such as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, or through irradiating plutonium in fast-neutron reactors for electricity generation.

Russia initially suspended implementation of the agreement in 2016, citing US sanctions, perceived hostile actions against Russia, NATO expansion, and unilateral changes to how the United States was disposing of its plutonium.

At that time, Russia contended that the United States had violated the agreement by switching, without Russian approval, to a simple plutonium dilution and disposal method.

Russia and the United States remain the world's dominant nuclear powers, jointly controlling approximately 8,000 nuclear warheads - significantly reduced from the 1986 peak of 73,000 warheads, according to Federation of American Scientists data.