ADMINISTRATION TO MEET WITH RUSSIA THURSDAY ON PU DISPOSITION PLANS

Administration officials plan to discuss plutonium disposition with Russian officials this Thursday. The April 25 meeting comes after the National Nuclear Security Administration plans to slow down construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility and examine alternative means to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium as part of an agreement with Russia. NNSA spokesman Robert Middaugh confirmed the meeting but declined to go into details on the meeting’s agenda. “Our conversations are ongoing and we’d like to leave them between the two governments for now,” he said in a written response. “The United States remains committed to achieving the important nonproliferation mission associated with the disposition of surplus weapon-grade plutonium and our partnership with Russia in this effort. We will continue to engage key stakeholders throughout the plutonium disposition assessment process, including the Russian Federation and the IAEA.”