MOSCOW, July 26 (AVN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the issues concerning the drafting of the state budget for 2001 at his meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov in the Kremlin Wednesday, a source in the president's administration told the Military News Agency.
According to the source, the president drew Kasyanov's attention to the necessity of increasing the Defence Ministry financing in many aspects and debt money repaying to the Armed Forces.
According to Colonel-General Vladimir Isakov, the rear commander - deputy defence minister, the decision on the dept repaying to the servicemen taken by the Russian president in February this year is being fulfilled properly. The federal debt to the servicemen was RUR5.4m (USD195,000) in the beginning of the year and then dropped down by more than RUR1.9m (USD68,000).