The Russian authorities intend to radically increase spending on army. Next year, the country will allocate $142 billion (13.2 trillion rubles) for this purpose, it says. Bloomberg agencyreferring to the draft budget law to be submitted to the State Duma. This is 6.2 percent of Russia's GDP. Next year's spending on army They will be 22 percent higher than in 2023, twice as high as in 2022 and almost four times higher than in 2021.
Russia to increase military spending. There will be a record
The agency notes that the country will allocate about 30 percent of its budget to the army, the highest level since the Soviet era. Another $37.5 billion (3.5 trillion rubles) will be allocated by Russia to “national security,” meaning the police, National Guard, Investigative Committee, special services and other law enforcement agencies.
At the same time, the Russian government plans to freeze budget spending on healthcare at the 2024 level (around $17 billion, or 1.6 trillion rubles) and reduce spending on pensions and benefits, among other things. In 2025, Russia will allocate around $73 billion (6.8 trillion rubles) for these purposes. This is $7.5 billion less than in 2024. In turn, spending on education will increase to $17 billion (from 1.5 to 1.6 trillion rubles).
War in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky will reveal the “victory plan”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that decisive actions by American leaders could accelerate the end of Russian aggression in 2025. The Ukrainian president, who is in the United States, met with a bipartisan delegation from the United States Congress. “Now, at the end of the year, we have a real opportunity to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the United States,” Zelensky said in a post in Application Telegram.
In turn, in the latest interview for television ABC News The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine is closer to the end of the war with Russia than it seems. He called on the US authorities and other allies to continue supporting Ukraine. – Only from a strong position can Ukraine press Vladimir Putinto stop the war, said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president arrived in the United States on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly. He will also meet with US President Joe Biden, to whom he is expected to present his so-called victory plan. Talks with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.