Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to pull out of an agreement to destroy weapons-grade plutonium is disappointing, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Monday.
“This was an announcement that we are disappointed by,” Earnest said of Putin’s suspension of the non-proliferation accord that took effect in 2011. “We’ve obviously been quite disappointed about a range of [recent] Russian decisions,” including annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and violating a cease-fire in Syria, all of which “have only deepened Russia’s isolation in the international community,” Earnest said.
Washington and Moscow initially agreed in 2000 and recommitted in 2010 to destroy 34 tons each of weapons-grade plutonium, enough to build about 17,000 nuclear weapons. Putin blamed the U.S. for its decision, and charged that the United States’ method of disposal violated the agreement.
The two countries collectively possess the world’s largest stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium.
Moscow agreed to the deal initially because it agreed that global non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is a priority, as is reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism, Earnest said.
