Comment by Dmitry V. Stefanovich, Member of the PIR Center Expert Council on the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly

In general, the presidential statements and subsequent comments by the Foreign Ministry, as well as the content of the package of documents received by the State Duma, allow us to assess the current approach as a moderate increase in rates. The situation remains relatively manageable both in the sphere of strategic arms control and in terms of the moratorium on nuclear tests, and, most importantly, no irreversible steps have yet been taken. I believe that, given the political will, responsible officials both in Moscow and Washington are quite capable of using the current crisis as an additional incentive to adapt existing mechanisms to the new era of multilateral confrontation