The Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement was signed in 2000 and updated in 2010.

The agreement bound the United States and Russia to get rid of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium each. It would instead be converted into fuel for nuclear power, as part of reducing the risks of an arms race after the Cold War.

17,000 nuclear weapons

American officials estimated that the agreement would mean that both countries together would get rid of enough plutonium to manufacture about 17,000 nuclear weapons.

Russia withdrew from the agreement back in 2016, in response to what it described as “unfriendly actions” by the United States and its “inability” to fulfill its part of the agreement.

In order for the agreement to be resumed, the Kremlin demanded that Washington lift the sanctions imposed on Russia at the time and compensate the country for the economic damage they caused. It also wanted the United States to reduce its military presence in countries that joined NATO after September 1, 2000.

Formally repealed

Now, nine years later, the agreement has been formally terminated. On Monday, President Vladimir Putin signed a law confirming Russia's withdrawal, reports the AFP news agency.

The announcement comes as relations between Putin and Donald Trump have become increasingly tense. Last week, the American president canceled a leaders' summit in Budapest, with the justification that the conversation would be a"waste of time" as long as Putin does not show willingness to reach an agreement on Ukraine.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has been repeatedly accused of engaging in nuclear threats.

Shortly after the invasion, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, and in 2024 he lowered the threshold for when the weapons could be used. On Sunday, he also stated that Russia had carried out a successful final test of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile.