Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Moscow, October 8 (Xinhua) — The Russian State Duma has denounced the intergovernmental agreement with the United States on plutonium disposition, as well as related treaties. This was reported by the press service of the lower house of the Russian parliament.
"The State Duma, at its plenary session, adopted a bill denunciating the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the United States of America on the Disposition, Management, and Cooperation in the Field of Plutonium, Declared No Longer Required for Defense Purposes, and a number of protocols to this Agreement," the statement reads. It is noted that the decision is aimed at preventing threats to Russia's national security.
The agreement was signed by Russia and the United States in 2000. It stipulated that the plutonium remaining after the decommissioning of warheads during the process of reducing the two countries' nuclear arsenals—a total of approximately 34 tons for each side—was to be removed from circulation and converted into a form that would make its further use impossible.
As stated in the explanatory note, the agreement and protocols were already suspended by a decree of the Russian president and a separate federal law in 2016 due to US sanctions, the adoption of the US-Ukraine Support Act, NATO's eastward expansion, and the buildup of the US military presence in Eastern European countries. The suspension of the documents was also due to the US intention to change the plutonium disposition procedure without Russia's consent.
The accompanying materials emphasize that since then, the American side has taken new anti-Russian steps, “fundamentally altering the strategic balance that existed at the time of the agreement’s conclusion and creating additional threats to strategic stability.” Therefore, the agreement and its accompanying protocols are finally denounced. –0–
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