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End of Russia’s Plutonium Deal with U.S.
October 13 , 2025
14 hrs 0 min
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- Russia's lower house of parliament approved the withdrawal from the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) signed with the United States in 2000.
- The PMDA required both countries to dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium each, enough for about 17,000 nuclear warheads.
- The agreement came into force in 2011.
- It aimed to reduce proliferation risks by converting plutonium into mixed oxide (MOX) fuel or irradiating it in reactors.
- Russia suspended implementation in 2016, citing U.S. sanctions, NATO expansion, and unilateral changes in U.S. plutonium disposal methods.
- Russia and the U.S. still hold around 8,000 nuclear warheads, down from 73,000 in 1986.
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