Moscow decided to suspend the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) with the United States as a "forced measure", Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"The President of the Russian Federation approved a decree on the suspension of the Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) with the United States from 2000. We would like to underscore that this is a "forced measure". We considered the agreement as one of important steps toward nuclear disarmament."

Moscow will not allow Washington to talk with Russia in a language of force, sanctions and ultimatums while hoping for cooperation in certain areas, Lavrov said.

"Unfortunately, recently the US has taken a number of unfriendly steps toward Russia. In particular, on far-fetched pretexts Washington imposed economic and other sanctions on Russia. NATO and the US started military buildup near Russian borders. The US and its allies openly, without holding back, are talking about adopting a "containing" policy toward Russia. They even threaten Russian cities with terror attacks."

According to the minister, unfriendly US actions are leading to negative changes in strategic stability, as well as limiting possibilities for reducing numbers of nuclear weapons.

On Monday, September 3, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to halt the bilateral Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement (PMDA) with the United States citing Washington's hostile actions and inability to fulfill US commitments to dispose of surplus weapons-grade plutonium.

"I would like to stress that Russia is not giving up on its obligations in the nuclear arms sphere, including reducing the amounts of nuclear materials in arms programs," Lavrov said as quoted by the foreign ministry.