Statement by the Press Secretary: U.S.-Russia Mark Major Nonproliferation Milestone

Today, the United States and Russia issued a Joint Statement to mark an important milestone: the completion of the conversion of the equivalent of 10,000 Russian nuclear warheads into fuel for nuclear reactors that provide 10 percent of America's electricity.

Marking this important nonproliferation milestone underscores the success of U.S. nonproliferation cooperation with Russia in eliminating highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from dismantled Russian nuclear warheads and converting the material to peaceful uses.

In 1993, the United States and Russia signed an agreement to down-blend 500 metric tons of HEU from Russian nuclear weapons (enough for 20,000 weapons) to low-enriched uranium (LEU). Today, at the halfway point of this program, the United States and Russia remain committed to completing the down-blending of the remaining material by 2013.