Putin terminates plutonium processing agreement with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law Monday ending the bilateral agreement with the United States on plutonium reprocessing, a deal that was already de facto obsolete.

The original agreement, known as PMDA, was signed in 2000 and amended in 2010, with the aim of reducing the plutonium stockpiles inherited from the Cold War and converting them into nuclear fuel for electricity generation, thus avoiding the production of new nuclear weapons.

Each country committed to recycle 34 tons of plutonium, equivalent to enough material for approximately 17,000 nuclear weapons according to U.S. estimates.

However, in 2016, Putin suspended Russian participation by decree, against a backdrop of rising tensions with the U.S. during the presidency of Barack Obama. The law signed Monday by the president, which was previously approved by the Russian Duma in October, constitutes the formal renunciation of the pact.

Nuclear forces on high alert

The decision comes amidst increased Russian nuclear pressure since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After the conflict began, Moscow placed its nuclear forces on high alert and, in 2024, Putin signed a decree lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

In addition, last Sunday, Russia announced the successful final test of its new nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, reinforcing the perception of an increasingly active and defiant nuclear policy with the West.