Sky News: Russia has further curtailed its co-operation with the United States in nuclear energy, suspending a research agreement and terminating one on uranium conversion.
The move comes two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium agreement with Washington.
The Russian government said that as counter-measures to the US sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, it was putting aside a nuclear and energy-related research pact with the US.
It also said it was terminating an agreement between state nuclear energy firm Rosatom and the US Department of Energy on feasibility studies into the conversion of Russian research reactors to low-enriched uranium.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons grade plutonium.
The move signals he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the US over Ukraine and Syria.
“The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American co-operation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the US side,” the Russian government said.
In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the US had not received an official notification from Russia, although he had seen media reports of the suspension of the research agreement.
“If they’re accurate, we would regret the Russian decision to unilaterally suspend co-operation on what we believe is a very important issue that’s in the interest of both of our countries,” spokesman Mark Toner said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decisions were made in light of “unfriendly acts” by Washington.
It comes two days after the US said it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the bloodshed in Syria.
The deal on co-operation in nuclear and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, expanded work between US and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and non-proliferation, among others.
The uranium agreement, finalised in 2010, provided for feasibility studies into the conversion of six Russian research reactors from dangerous highly enriched uranium to more secure low enriched uranium.
“We can no longer trust Washington in such a sensitive area as the modernisation and security of Russian nuclear facilities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said that should Russia decide on the feasibility of the conversion of any research reactors to low-enriched uranium, it would then carry out the work itself.
But it warned the conversion may not be “an end in itself”.
“In some cases, including in the production of medical isotopes, highly enriched uranium is the most effective and renouncing it would be technically and economically inexpedient,” it added.
