Russia may review the format of the presidential address to the Federal Assembly to adapt to changing political realities, according to Garry Minkh, the presidential representative to the State Duma.
Minkh said in an interview with the state news agency TASS that a revision of the address cannot be ruled out. He added that the physical delivery of the speech before both chambers of parliament is not an end in itself.
Comparing the situation to the 2020 amendments to the Russian constitution, Minkh noted that those reforms were brought about by new realities. He stated that changing conditions could require a review of established forms of interaction between the head of state, parliament, and other political system institutions.
The 2020 constitutional amendments represented a broad overhaul of Russia's governing charter, altering executive power structures, council roles, and institutional relationships across government.
Minkh also suggested that the term annual address could potentially lose its requirement to take place every year, concluding that time would tell how the process unfolds.
Constitutional Framework and Delays
The Federal Assembly is the bicameral national parliament of the Russian Federation, established under the 1993 constitution. It consists of the State Duma, the lower house that debates and passes federal legislation, and the Federation Council, the upper house representing regional subjects.
In Russian governance, the presidential address functions as an annual state of the nation statement where the president outlines economic, social, and foreign policy directions. Minkh serves as the official presidential envoy coordinating executive legislative initiatives with lawmakers in the State Duma.
The potential changes follow a period of uncertainty surrounding the traditional ceremony. The presidential address to the Federal Assembly did not take place in 2025, and the Kremlin initially did not specify a reason for omitting the event.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later clarified at the end of the year that Russian President Vladimir Putin had personally made the decision not to deliver the annual address in 2025.
The Kremlin, located in central Moscow, serves as the official residence of the president and the administrative core of the Russian executive branch.
