Despite the end of cooperative threat reduction activities between the United States and Russia, nuclear security cooperation between the two countries remains strong, according to Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation at the State Department. "The U.S. and Russia continue to cooperate in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism," Countryman said yesterday at the State Department’s Generation Prague conference, noting that this "is one of the areas in which, despite the tension over Ukraine, U.S.-Russian cooperation remains very strong." Countryman noted that previous engagement through Nunn-Lugar legislation, particularly in securing fissile material in Russia, "is not as strong as it was." Those activities, established upon the breakup of the Soviet Union to help Russia maintain the security of its nuclear weapons stockpile and fissile materials, "did more than anything else to reduce the chances of theft of fissile material," he said. Countryman said that although he believes "the Russians understand full well the importance of this," the U.S.-Russia relationship currently lacks transparency.