MOSCOW — Russia has suspended an agreement with the United States on research cooperation in the nuclear and energy sectors, the latest move underlining worsening tensions between Washington and Moscow.

A suspension decree signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was posted Wednesday on the government website, which said the decree was a ‘‘countermeasure’’ to US sanctions imposed over Russia’s role in the Ukraine conflict.

The impact of the move is likely to be less serious than Russia’s suspension Monday of an agreement on disposal of plutonium. The deal had been seen as a symbol of US-Russian rapprochement.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States ‘‘would regret the Russian decision to unilaterally suspend cooperation on what we believe is a very important issue that’s in the interests of both our countries.’’

Associated Press