“The window of opportunity regarding US-Russian dialogue is closing very quickly. I do not accept the argument that that the transition period in Washington is taking longer than usual, and the real game will start soon. Nor do I think that just separating the nuclear nonproliferation agenda issues from the broader context of security agenda could help. This will just mislead all of us,” – Dr. Vladimir A. Orlov, Founder and Special Advisor, PIR Center.

 “At the beginning of the 2000s, the United States informed us about their desire to withdraw from the ABM Treaty. We warned that we would have to do something to enhance our deterrent capabilities. We did not plan to build up nation-wide defense because due to the size of our country this measure would take large amount of resources and would still be ineffective. Therefore, we had to design new warheads and new armaments. On behalf of the State Department John Bolton said to us: “Do whatever you want, we do not care.” Even though President Putin demonstrated new weapons, including hypersonic ones, I do not think we are going to produce those systems in big numbers. That was a signal to the United States: if they want us to develop those weapons further, that is ok, but we prefer to stop and start talking about limitation of our systems, including missile defense,” – Gen. Evgeny Buzhinskiy, Chairman of PIR Center’s Executive Board.

“The 17 ambassadors selected in 2019 for five years will pass the richness of experience as well as their own ideas to the new, young generation, not only symbolically, but in practice… Starting from 2025, it will be up to the young and bright students or former students to provide their vision on this matter and to take the lead in promoting disarmament and nonproliferation education in their respective regions, as well as globally,” – Dr. Vladimir Orlov, PIR Center’s Founder and Special Advisor, and Mr. Adlan Margoev, PIR Center’s “Russia and Nuclear Nonproliferation” Program Director.