The explanatory note said that in 2016, the agreement and its protocols were suspended by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reasons for this were a fundamental change in circumstances — the imposition of US sanctions against Russia, the adoption of a law on support for Ukraine that allows for interference in the country's internal affairs, NATO expansion to the east, the buildup of the US military presence in Eastern European countries, and the US intention to change the plutonium disposition procedure stipulated in the agreement without the consent of Russia.
"The decision is being made solely in the interests of Russia and its citizens. We are denouncing an agreement that should have been terminated long ago," Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said at a plenary session on Wednesday.
Volodin also expressed his gratitude to the Russian Foreign Ministry for its work on the issue.