 "Russia exits plutonium pact as US relations sour after Alaska summit")
Russian lawmakers have voted to withdraw from a defunct treaty with the United States on the disposal of weapons-grade plutonium, as Moscow declared that the momentum from the Alaska summit between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin has run its course.
According to a Bloomberg report, the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, approved the bill on Wednesday to exit the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement.
The legislation will now go to the upper chamber for a vote before being sent to President Putin for final approval, added the report.
The move is largely symbolic, as Putin had already suspended Russia’s participation in the agreement in 2016, accusing the US of taking “unfriendly” actions that threatened strategic stability.
The treaty, signed in 2000 and ratified in 2011, required both countries to dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium by converting it into fuel for nuclear power plants.
Efforts to repair US-Russia relations appear to be stalling, despite President Trump’s early pledge to quickly end the war in Ukraine after returning to the White House in January.
Trump’s August summit with President Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, raised hopes of progress. But since then, there’s been little sign of movement on ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Unfortunately, we must admit that the powerful impetus generated by Anchorage in favour of agreements has been largely exhausted,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
According to the state-run Tass news agency, speaking in the State Duma, Ryabkov said Moscow could no longer accept the obligations of the plutonium treaty “in the current situation,”
Tensions have continued to rise, with Trump expressing growing frustration over Putin’s refusal to de-escalate. Putin, in turn, has warned that US plans to supply Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles would further damage relations.
Still, Putin has signaled some openness, offering to extend the last major nuclear arms treaty between the two countries for an extra year if Washington agrees to do the same.
Trump called the idea “like a good idea,” though he has yet to formally commit.
Several rounds of diplomatic talks have taken place since January to restore relations and reopen diplomatic missions. However, no major breakthrough has been reached.
With inputs from agencies
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