In the wake of Putin’s unequivocal rejection of the “one master, one sovereign” world order in Munich last week, the Kremlin is putting its money where its mouth is. Clearly displeased by Washington’s decision to build missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in an interview today with Rossiyskaya Gazeta that “Undoubtedly, we will react. But we will do so without hysterics. We cannot allow [Russia] to be drawn into a new arms race.”

Russia’s top military commander, General Yuri Baluyevsky, doesn’t seem to share the top diplomat’s views. In an interview with the RIAN news agency, Baluevsky declared that his country is being forced into a new arms race, while noting that “being aware of the technical characteristics [of US military hardware], we can with complete certainty state that despite declarations that these systems are not aimed against Russia, they can affect our deterrence potential.”