Members of the Russian parliament have ratified President Vladimir Putin’s decree to suspend a plutonium accord with the United States.

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Russia’s suspension of the nuclear deal with the US is a response to an “emerging threat to a strategic stability as a result of America’s unfriendly actions” in Syria, Ukraine and Europe, Putin has said. Washington and Moscow were supposed to each dispose of 34 metric tons of weapons-grade plutonium, enough material for about 17,000 nuclear warheads.

In an interview with Press TV, Stephen Lendman, an author and radio host from Chicago, said the issue of plutonium accord “is a non-issue and it simply does not matter whether Russia goes along with this issue or not.”

Lendman said the halt of nuclear cooperation between Russia and the US was a minor issue, but the big issue was that “they are heading for direct confrontation.”

“Putin has a right to respond to America’s provocative actions against Russia which continue in numerous ways,” he said.

The author also stated that if Hillary Clinton, the US Democratic candidate for president, becomes the next president of the United States, there would be “the risk of a nuclear war” between the US and Russia.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lendman commented on the issue of Syria. He said the United States sought to breach any ceasefire agreement with Russia over the conflict in Syria only to turn back and blame Moscow and Damascus for the violation.

“America does the bombing, Russia and Syria get blamed for other incidents and the conflict goes on endlessly,” Lendman argued, adding that the reason was the US wanted the war in Syria to continue.

Presstv