Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the formal termination of the 2000 Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) with the United States. The move codifies what had long been a de facto suspension: Russia had halted its participation in the agreement in 2016 amid disputes with the U.S. over changes in the latter’s plutonium disposal methods.
Under the PMDA, both countries initially pledged to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium each, converting it into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel or otherwise neutralizing it to reduce proliferation risk. Russia now not only ends its commitment to the main agreement but also repudiates all associated protocols governing civil liability, funding mechanisms, and disposal procedures.
Russian officials argue that U.S. actions and strategic shifts, especially Washington’s move toward “dilute and dispose” methods, breached the spirit of the original accord, upsetting the strategic balance and undermining Moscow’s security interests. In Russia’s view, the formal denunciation was necessary to free Moscow from constraints tied to a pact it considers obsolete and misaligned with current realities.
Analysts warn the termination further erodes the arms control architecture between the two largest nuclear powers, deepening mistrust and complicating future cooperation on strategic stability and non-proliferation.
