Putin pledges to reduce Russia military spending
President Vladimir Putin has said on that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide.
'We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity,' he said during a meeting with other candidates on 19 March.
'We will not allow for any sort of arms race,' he said.
Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of 'invincible' nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month.
Russia's military efforts were presented as a response to recent actions by the US, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.
The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.
Since then, London has accused Moscow of being behind the poisoning of a former double agent on British soil, leading to tit-for-tat diplomat expulsions.
In the meeting on 19 March Putin insisted Moscow would use diplomatic channels to settle differences 'with our partners' in an apparent reference to the West.
"From our side, we will do all we can so that the arguments with our [international] partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means,' he said.
'It goes without saying that not everything depends on us - as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all,' he said.
More from Defence Notes
-
How Canada plans to “seize” the opportunity to increase investments in defence
The Canadian Department of National Defence has been increasing efforts to accelerate the acquisition of new equipment and modernise its in-service inventory.
-
Palantir and Boeing partner up to bring AI to defence manufacturing
The partnership with the US airframer will see Palantir’s AI software leveraged to help streamline data analytics across Boeing’s 12 factories on defence and classified programmes.
-
DroneShield to double its US footprint to meet growing demand for counter-UxS capabilities
DroneShield disclosed to Shephard its plans to increase its workforce and manufacturing capacities while strengthening partnerships with US suppliers.
-
Singapore’s DSTA seeks wider partnerships to advance robotics and AI capabilities
The technology organisation is expecting a significant rise in the number of staff working across robotics and digital solutions as it becomes more of a focal point.
-
Modular and attritable equipment must be a priority: US military
Senior officers and representatives from the US Army, US Air Force and US Navy emphasised the need to expedite acquisition projects for systems and platforms that are more modular. They also highlighted that the loss of equipment is acceptable.