25 Nov 2010 15:03

Spending on defense to be maintained at 2.8% of GDP - Medvedev

NIZHNY NOVGOROD. Nov 25 (Interfax) - The annual spending on national defense will remain at 2.8% of GDP until 2020, President Dmitry Medvedev told servicemen in Nizhny Novgorod on Thursday.

"Starting from this year until 2020, the annual funding for national defense will be maintained at 2.8% of GDP," he said.

"To be honest, we had to make serious adjustments in the budget and in our short-term plans to attain this figure. We even had to cut some programs to maintain the funding for the armed forces at this level," Medvedev said.

"This will help provide the troops with advanced weaponry compliant with the current state armaments program," he said.

"But the task, which is in fact no less important and no less complicated, is to solve all social problems facing the military," the president said.