Following weeks of deteriorating diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Russia over Syria — to the point where the U.S. has now placed additional military options on the table — Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a nuclear pact with Washington on Monday, Reuters reports, indicating his willingness to play the nuclear card with the United States.

“Starting in the last years of the Cold War, Russia and the United States signed a series of accords to reduce the size of their nuclear arsenals, agreements that have so far survived intact despite a souring of U.S.-Russian relations under Putin.

“But on Monday, Putin issued a decree suspending an agreement, concluded in 2000, which bound the two sides to dispose of surplus plutonium originally intended for use in nuclear weapons.”

Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin on Monday, cites “unfriendly acts” by Washington as motivating factors for the move. Under the accord, the U.S. and Russia were each to dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium — enough for about 17,000 nuclear warheads.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, commenting on President Putin’s move on Monday, stated: “The Obama administration has done everything in its power to destroy the atmosphere of trust which could have encouraged cooperation.”

The agency added: “We want Washington to understand that you cannot, with one hand, introduce sanctions against us where it can be done fairly painlessly for the Americans, and with the other hand continue selective cooperation in areas where it suits them.”

Diplomacy between the U.S. and Russia in Syria appears to have cratered entirely, in fact. On Monday, officials from both countries indicated that talks of any potential ceasefire in Middle Eastern nation have completely fallen apart.

“All contacts between the military have been stopped of late,” TASS reported Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying, adding “there has been no exchange of information.”

Then, in a statement issued by the U.S. Department of State, spokesman John Kirby said:

“The United States is suspending its participation in bilateral channels that were established to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities. This is not a decision that was taken lightly. The United States spared no effort in negotiating and attempting to implement an arrangement with Russia aimed at reducing violence, providing unhindered humanitarian access, and degrading terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Daesh and al Qaeda in Syria.”

So — for now, at least — it appears any pretext at diplomacy regarding Syria has evaporated, as the world’s two greatest superpowers continue to jockey for dominance in the war-torn region.

“Nothing More To Talk About” As US Suspends Bilateral Contact With Russia On Syria War

Monday, the United States confirmed that it was officially ending discussions with Russia on plans to achieve a peaceful solution to Syrian proxy war, which has lasted almost 6 years. US officials had threatened for almost a week to end negotiations with Russia on the Syrian peace process.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Monday that there is “nothing more for the US and Russia to talk about” in Syria.

The most recent ceasefire agreement negotiated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled to begin September 12 and has now officially collapsed after repeated incidents. On September 17, the United States coalition bombed Syrian troops fighting the Islamic State near the city of Deir Ezzor, killing more than 80 troops and wounding over 100. In response to that incident, which the US called an “accident”, Russia public accused the US of intentionally aiding the Islamic State.

“If previously we had suspicions that Al-Nusra Front is protected this way, now, after today’s airstrikes on the Syrian army we come to a really terrifying conclusion for the entire world: The White House is defending IS [Islamic State, formerly ISIS/ISIL],” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Rossiya 24.

The US and Russian military will continue to “deconflict” to avoid problems with their aircraft flying over Syria, US officials will withdraw staff tasked with the purpose of setting up the Joint Implementation Center (JIC) agreed to as part of the ceasefire. The JIC was designed to enable military cooperation between the two sides to target the Islamic State and the Al Nusra, the former opposition group which was declared a foreign terrorist organization in November 2012. The JIC would have been located in Geneva, Switzerland and would have allowed for sharing of intelligence between Russia and the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State.

On Monday, Russia also suspended participation in a program for disposing of plutonium from decommissioned nuclear warheads. Russian officials noted “the radical change in the environment, a threat to strategic stability posed by the hostile actions of the US against Russia, and the inability of the US to deliver on the obligation to dispose of excessive weapons plutonium under international treaties,” as explanation for the decision.

Baran Hines writes for ActivistPost.com. He is the founder of WTFRLY.com, where you can read more of his work. This article may be reposted in part or in full with author attribution and source link.

Russia Conducting Nuclear Drills After US Threatens Attacks On Its Cities</s>Russia has further curtailed its cooperation with the United States on nuclear energy by suspending a research agreement and terminating another on uranium conversion, two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium pact with Washington.

The Russian government said Wednesday that as a countermeasure to the U.S. sanctions imposed on it over events in Ukraine, it was putting aside a nuclear and energy-related research pact with the United States.

It also announced the termination, for the same reasons, of an agreement between its nuclear corporation, Rosatom, and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors to low-enriched uranium.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, a signal that he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria.

“The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American cooperation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the U.S. side,” the Russian government said on its website.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States 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 cooperation on what we believe is a very important issue that’s in the interest of both of our countries,” spokesman Mark Toner said at a daily news briefing.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decisions were taken in response to “unfriendly acts” by Washington. They came two days after Washington said it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria.

The agreement on co-operation in nuclear and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, provided the legal framework necessary to expand work between U.S. and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and nonproliferation, among others.

The uranium agreement, signed 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 modernization and security of Russian nuclear facilities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It said that should Russia decide on the feasibility of the conversion of any research reactors to low-enriched uranium, it will 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,” the ministry said.

The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014, followed by a pro-Russian insurrection in the east of the country. The breakdown of a cease-fire in Syria, where Russia backs government forces and the West supports rebel groups, has added to tensions.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia further curtailed its cooperation with the United States in nuclear energy on Wednesday, suspending a research agreement and terminating one on uranium conversion, two days after the Kremlin shelved a plutonium pact with Washington.

The Russian government said that as counter-measures to the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over Ukraine, it was putting aside a nuclear and energy-related research pact with the United States.

It also said it was terminating for the same reasons an agreement between its nuclear corporation Rosatom and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors to low-enriched uranium.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria.

“The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American cooperation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the U.S. side,” the Russian government said on its website.

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said the United States 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 cooperation on what we believe is a very important issue that’s in the interest of both of our countries,” spokesman Mark Toner said at a daily news briefing.

“UNFRIENDLY ACTS”

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decisions were taken in response to “unfriendly acts” by Washington. They came two days after Washington said it was suspending talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria.

The agreement on co-operation in nuclear and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, provided the legal framework necessary to expand work between U.S. and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and nonproliferation, among others.

The uranium agreement, signed 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 modernization and security of Russian nuclear facilities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It said that should Russia decide on the feasibility of the conversion of any research reactors to low-enriched uranium, it will carry 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 its would be technically and economically inexpedient,” the ministry said.

The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014, followed by a pro-Russian insurrection in the east of the country. The breakdown of a ceasefire in Syria, where Russia backs government forces and the West supports rebel groups, has added to tensions.</s>The government also said it was terminating for the same reasons an agreement between its nuclear corporation Rosatom and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors to low enriched uranium.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States over Ukraine and Syria.

"The regular renewal of sanctions against Russia, which include the suspension of Russian-American cooperation in the field of nuclear energy demands the adoption of countermeasures against the U.S. side," the Russian government said on its website.

The agreement on co-operation in nuclear- and energy-related scientific research, signed in 2013, provided the legal framework necessary to expand work between U.S. and Russian nuclear research laboratories and institutes in nuclear technology and nonproliferation, among others.

The uranium agreement, signed 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.

The West imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014, followed by a pro-Russian insurrection in the east of the country. The breakdown of a ceasefire in Syria, where Russia backs government forces and the West supports rebel groups, has added to tensions.</s>The Russian government said on Wednesday that it was suspending an agreement with the United States on co-operation in nuclear- and energy-related scientific research.

The government also said on its website that an agreement between the state nuclear energy firm Rosatom and the U.S. Department of Energy on feasibility studies into conversion of Russian research reactors from highly-enriched to low enriched uranium had been terminated.</s>MOSCOW — Russia has suspended an agreement with the United States on research cooperation in the nuclear and energy sectors, the latest move underlining worsening tensions between Washington and Moscow.

A suspension decree signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was posted Wednesday on the government website, which said the decree was a "countermeasure" to U.S. sanctions imposed over Russia's role in the Ukraine conflict.

The impact of the move is likely to be less serious than Russia's suspension Monday of an agreement on disposal of weapons-grade plutonium. That agreement had been seen as a symbol of US-Russian rapprochement.

The strain in Moscow-Washington relations over Ukraine has intensified in recent weeks amid the collapse of a cease-fire in Syria and the Syrian army's assault on the city of Aleppo under cover of Russian warplanes.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. has not received notification of the suspension, but "would regret the Russian decision to unilaterally suspend cooperation on what we believe is a very important issue that's in the interests of both our countries."</s>WASHINGTON—Confronted by Russia in Syria, Ukraine and cyberspace, the next U.S. president will be the fourth to face Vladimir Putin and the challenge of deterring a Kremlin often more willing than the White House to take risk and project power.

Over the last four years, the Russian president has annexed Crimea and destabilized eastern Ukraine, stymied U.S. hopes to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and mounted cyber attacks that U.S. officials blame on hackers commanded or orchestrated by Russian intelligence agencies.

In his latest gambit, Putin this week suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium.

While the United States has imposed economic sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine, these have yet to force it to calm tensions in eastern Ukraine, let alone surrender Crimea.

Some current and former U.S. officials argue the White House has failed to understand Putin's bitterness about the decade after the Soviet Union collapsed, at a time the Russian leader feels the West took advantage of Russia when it was down.

Further, they say the United States has little influence over the course of democracy in Russia, or on its willingness to use force in Syria, Ukraine or elsewhere to achieve its ends.

The result, critics say, could be that Syria festers, Ukraine stays off balance and unable to draw closer to Europe, and that even areas such as arms control and nonproliferation, pillars of cooperation during the Cold War, could deteriorate.

"For Putin and most of the Russian leadership, it's a zero-sum world," said Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank.

Weiss argued the Russian leader was unlikely to change his stripes before Russia's 2018 presidential election "in an atmosphere where Putin's own domestic political fortunes depend on having this external enemy, namely the United States."

No resistance so far

A U.S. official suggested Putin, who has yet to tip his hand but is expected to run again, is willing to use force to get his way while the White House, scarred by the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is not.

"The administration never understood how bruised Putin and many, many Russians feel about the 1990s, or how determined they are to regain what they consider Russia's rightful place in the world, much less what Putin is willing to do to get there," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"He will keep pushing until he meets serious resistance, and so far he hasn't," the official added.

In the eyes of many current and former U.S. officials, Syria is a case in point.

The United States this week announced it was suspending talks with Russia on a ceasefire, all but saying the Russian and Syrian assault on Aleppo had made a mockery of the peace effort.

"Where they make a desert, they call it peace," Secretary of State John Kerry said, quoting the Roman historian Tacitus.

Analysts believe Aleppo is likely to fall but the war, now in its sixth year, will grind on with Assad surviving atop a shrunken, broken and fragmented country enduring the world's worst refugee crisis since World War Two.

U.S. officials say the White House has yet to decide what to do next on Syria but few expect Obama to shift strategy in his waning months in office.

It is not considering imposing further sanctions on Russia for now, two U.S. officials said.

On Monday, Putin suspended a treaty with Washington on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, signaling he is willing to use nuclear disarmament as a new bargaining chip in disputes with the United States.

"If the relationship worsens, either side could be looking to exert leverage or score points in the nuclear arms control realm," said Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association.

Another area where the United States is weighing its options is the stealthy war in cyberspace that is already under way with Russia and could escalate as relations worsen.

U.S. officials anonymously say Russian intelligence services have interfered in the U.S. election process by launching cyber intrusions into the presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, and other U.S. political organizations and state election offices.

The White House has refrained from publicly accusing Russia. If hard evidence of Russia's involvement emerges, Washington has a dilemma in fashioning a response because, by going public, it could tip Moscow to its own intrusions, prompting retaliation.

Two U.S. officials suggested critics are taking too short term a view, arguing it can take years to achieve an objective, such as the liberation of the Baltic states from Soviet rule.

Cold War-like policies, such as using economic sanctions to weaken Russia's economy or deploying NATO troops to the Baltics and Poland in January to deter Russia, may work over time.

"There's no quick fix with the Russians," said one official.
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends the 2013 nuclear agreement with the United States concerning uranium research.