US President Donald Trump has announced strict sanctions on two major Russian oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, to stop the Russia-Ukraine War. Trump has done this to deal a blow to Russia's economy and force it to end the war against Ukraine. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also made it clear that he will not back down. Putin has now taken a step that is sure to shock Trump.
Putin signed a law on Monday, formally terminating the Plutonium Disposal Agreement with the United States. This agreement had been suspended for the past few years, and Putin has now ended it completely.
The Plutonium Disposal Agreement was made between Russia and the United States in 2000. Under this, both countries had promised to destroy or convert 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium left over from the Cold War into nuclear fuel, so that new nuclear weapons could not be made. Russia suspended it in 2016, and now Putin has ended it completely. This was an important step in nuclear disarmament.
Despite Trump's efforts in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, Putin is not ready to end the war. Because of this, tensions between Russia and the US are increasing. While the US wants to crush Russia under the burden of sanctions, Russia has also ended the Plutonium Disposal Agreement as a counter-attack to the US's move.
The situation could become serious due to Putin's termination of the Plutonium Disposal Agreement. Experts believe that this could increase the plutonium stockpiles of both countries, posing a risk of rebuilding nuclear weapons.
