NOVO-OGARYOVO. Jan 21 (Interfax) - Moscow will be able to respond to challenges from other countries without being dragged into a costly arms race, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We are not going to be dragged into a costly arms race. Russia doesn't threaten anyone and seeks to settle all debatable points at the negotiating table. We will keep acting this way and will stick to this very policy," Putin said at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission on Tuesday.
"We see other states openly make their geopolitical claims, and do not stop at openly interfering in the internal affairs of independent states, and in doing so, they actively augment and perfect their military arsenals," he said.
"We can and should respond to this challenge, but without being dragged into a costly arms race," he said.
Russia is well capable of doing so, "with the emphasis placed on high technology," Putin said.
"We will continue to strengthen our armed forces and the military organization on the whole and do all we can so that our armed forces be modern, mobile, well-equipped, and capable of performing their main duty, that is, neutralize risks and political threats and potential threats to our country's security," he said.
The government is obliged to ensure "reliable and guaranteed protection of Russia's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national interests," he said.
"When I say that many or certain states pursue a different policy, namely a policy of forcible pressure, you all understand what I mean, we have seen this with our own eyes for quite a long period of time," he said.
"All this is being done to the accompaniment of talk about international law and the desire to resolve problems through negotiations," he said.
In commenting on this, Putin quoted Chancellor Bismarck of Germany as saying that 'what matters is not intentions but potentials'. "We see the potentials growing," he said.
Putin pointed out that he had earlier cited information on Russia's, the U.S.', and other countries' spending on defensive needs. "These are incomparable figures, simply incomparable - they spend more than we do by a huge ratio," he said.