On Wednesday, the lower house of the Russian parliament approved a bill to withdraw from an agreement with the United States that aimed to reduce Cold War-era stocks of weapons-grade plutonium.
The Plutonium Disposition Agreement, signed by both sides in 2000, committed both countries to eliminating at least 34 tons of plutonium from nuclear warheads. The agreement came into force in 2011.
The aim of the agreement was to convert the plutonium into a safer form, for example by converting it into MOX fuel or using it in fast neutron reactors for power generation.
Russian authorities stated that new steps taken by the United States would alter the strategic balance and increase the risks to international stability. Russia had already suspended implementation of the agreement in 2016, citing sanctions, NATO expansion, and a change in the US approach to plutonium.
According to Reuters, the two powers have the largest nuclear arsenals in the world – a combined total of around 8,000 warheads. After the end of the Cold War, their numbers fell significantly from a peak of 73,000 in 1986.
(reuters, sie)