Relations deteriorating as Russia halts US plutonium agreement
Russia has ordered a halt to the bilateral Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PDMA) with the US due to Washington's "hostile actions" and failure to keep to the terms of the deal, according to a Russian government's official document. Under the US-Russian PMDA, signed in 2000, both nations agreed to dispose of at least 34 metric tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium, enough to produce 17,000 nuclear bombs. This comes as the Syrian conflict brings Russia and the US to the brink of a diplomatic crisis, with some analysts warning the crisis is worse than anything during the Cold War.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered to halt a bilateral Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PDMA) with the United States because of Washington's hostile actions, a document published on the Russian government's official portal for legal information said on Monday.

"Suspend the agreement between the Russian and the US governments on the disposition of plutonium, designated as plutonium no longer required for defense purposes, its use and cooperation in this field," the document states.

According to the document, Russia's weapons-grade plutonium would not be used for creation of nuclear weapons or any research and development activities or tests carried out with military purposes.