Russia's Upper House Suspends Agreement With US On Plutonium Disposal

The upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, approved on Wednesday the bill on the suspension of the Russia-US agreement on the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium.

According to the bill, the decision on the revival of the agreement from the Russian side is made by the country's president.

On October 19, the lower house of the Russian parliament ratified the bill, put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 3 in light of, according to Putin, fundamental changes in US-Russian relations.

The deal on the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium signed in 2000 stipulated that both sides were obliged to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium by burning it in nuclear reactors, starting in 2018.

Russia has created all necessary infrastructure to destroy plutonium under the deal, while the United States has failed to meet its obligations intending to mix plutonium with other materials placing it in a radioactive waste repository.

(Sputnik)