A perfect storm is a combination of several, sometimes unrelated factors that lead to unexpected, catastrophic consequences, although the effect of each factor separately could be minimal. According to Aleksashenko's view, such a situation, resulting in the cooling of US-Russia relations, emerged in 1995. These factors impacted the primary pillars of social and state life, including the economy, as well as domestic and foreign policy. They did not lead to an immediate catastrophe that would occur almost 30 years later but reversed the trend in relations between the two countries. Initially, the movement toward an alliance stalled, and numerous disagreements began to surface, each time highlighting the differences between Russia and the United States and intensifying the rift between the countries.