Mikhail Margelov, Chairman Of Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee: Russia May Withdraw From Start-2 In Response To Us Withdrawal From Abm Treaty

Chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, Mikhail Margelov, does not rule out that in response to the USA's withdrawal from the ABM Treaty Russia may withdraw from the START-2 Treaty. All the more so, he underlined in his interview with RIA Novosti, that Russia had reserved this right in its ratification acts to the ABM Treaty. According to Margelov, Russia's withdrawal from START-2 may become "the most effective and pragmatic option aimed at maintaining the country's national security at the proper level". At the same time, Margelov pointed out, he did not think such steps would be appropriate in the near future. Russia has responded "calmly and without unnecessary agitation" to the US Administration's decision to pull out from the ABM Treaty, Margelov said. The official position of Russia's top expressed by President Vladimir Putin bears good evidence of that. For that reason, Margelov said, at the Federation Council's next meeting scheduled on December 26 he was going to come out with a proposal to adopt a special resolution in support of the Russian leader's well-balanced position on the issue. Margelov reminded the interviewer that the USA's decision to withdraw from the ABM Treaty was "long expected" in Russia and had been agreed with Russia. "It is essentially important that the current level of Russian-American relations allows the two parties to speak about joint preparation and legal establishment of a new global system of strategic security based on a mutually acceptable agreement", the Russian senator said. Therefore, according to Mikhail Margelov, one should keep in mind that Russia "has succeeded in keeping the USA within the bounds of international law as well as within the framework of international relations".