Finance minister warns Russia can't afford military spending plan

Finance minister warns Russia can't afford military spending plan

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's finance minister said on Tuesday the country could no longer afford a multi-billion-dollar revamp of the armed forces approved by President Vladimir Putin, stepping up a campaign to trim spending as sanctions over the Ukraine crisis bite.

Anton Siluanov said a new defense program should be drawn up to take into account the changed economic situation, even though the deputy prime minister in charge of the sector has been ruling out any cuts in military spending.

"A new defense program will be prepared now, and in its framework we want to reconsider the amount of resources that will be spent from the budget in order to make it more realistic," said Siluanov, appointed three years ago after his veteran predecessor, Alexei Kudrin, quit in protest over the proposed military spending.

Siluanov's comments highlight a battle among different factions of the government over defense spending which has heated up in recent months, and which will ultimately be resolved by Putin himself.

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As I stated before Putin is trying to please all the different groups in Russia and it is blowing up in his face. If Putin can no longer afford to upgrade his military on the time table he wanted, how does that impact his ongoing push to rebuild the USSR 2.0? How is that going to affect the re-opening of Arctic / cold war bases he has brought back online?

The most important observation, imo, is his lack of concern to those people in Russia trying to tell him he has bitten of more than he can chew and if he does not change course, not only will his plans go up in smoke, its going to cause more damage to Russia, further pushing his goals back.

This comes on the heels of the Free Syrian Army capturing a secret spy facility near the Golan heights that was manned by Syrian and Russian personnel. It was able to monitor not only rebels communications in Syria, but was able to listen in on Saudi, Jordanian and Israeli communications as well. Its also speculated it could be use to warn Iran of any airstrike coming from Israel.

All because Putins vanity cant handle reality. That is once again supported by his most recent vacation trip where he once again goes shirtless while walking in the woods.

With that said what should Putin do?

a reply to: Xcathdra

If China doesn't make some moves it looks like America wins again. One wonders if China is in league with America after all or if they just aren't ready yet to come out in the open.

originally posted by: tavi45
a reply to: Xcathdra

If China doesn't make some moves it looks like America wins again. One wonders if China is in league with America after all or if they just aren't ready yet to come out in the open.

We are one of China's largest trading partners. As has been stated time and again, any type of hostility involving the US and China will affect trade. That would result in more issues for China than it would the US.

With that said do you have anything about the op or the question asked - Ie Putin and Russia and not China?

I see you joined in September 2014 - welcome to ATS.

a reply to: Xcathdra

I am not surprised your sticking sides with the FSA and Ukrankian billionaire while posting Anti Russian news articles whom are reported by western news outlets

With that said what should Putin do?
All this shows that Americans believe everything what there news outlets say to them.

This comes on the heels of the Free Syrian Army capturing a secret spy facility near the Golan heights that was manned by Syrian and Russian personnel.

Ah yes the Free Syrian Army capturing a secret spy facility near the Golan heights based which reports again? the one man in London?

a reply to: Agent_USA_Supporter

What should Putin do?

a reply to: Agent_USA_Supporter

You know, I'm curious too.

Agent_USA_Supporter, pretend this is a seminar and the instructor has handed the OP do you as a hypothetical, one of many which might occur. He asks you, "If this happened to be the situation, what would you advise Putin to do?"

I think your answer might be valuable.

a reply to: Xcathdra


Putin will do what the Oligarchs tell him to do. He's just following the same script as the rest of them.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Agent_USA_Supporter

What should Putin do?

Based on Westren propaganda agaisnt Russia i am not surprised that some are believing whatever IMF mafia says.
based on the sources you used.

IMF says economic growth may never return to pre-crisis levels

IMF demands more austerity for Italy

When it comes to the matters of Russian economy the IMF are the least thugs to look and ask for demands. Italians have suffered enough with austerity and while at the same time IMF is asking for more.

is his lack of concern to those people in Russia trying to tell him he has bitten of more than he can chew and if he does not change course, not only will his plans go up in smoke, its going to cause more damage to Russia, further pushing his goals back

The Russian majority support Putin, the only ones whom doesn't are those Russians whom want to be part of NATO and EU.


I am not surprised that you are that desperate enough wishing for Russia to fail in both not only in Eastern Ukraine but Syria and let the gulf regime states take over.

When looking at the US military budget there are a few issues with it's affordability, but it has not stopped the massive armada that has developed. If the Russian state rather than a central bank maintains the right to print its own money then affordability becomes more issues of currency inflation rather than state capital.

From my perspective it feels more like the US trying to flood the oil market to reduce the $/barrel. This can affect Russia's projected income more than the current sanctions going on, but there is a lot of details going on I have not seen. It is not the first time this tactic of manipulation the oil price has been played at a detriment to Russia.

Considering the current geopolitical situation I find it highly unlikely that Russia will be stopping it's military spending anytime soon. As for how much gets spent, wasted and ripped off is a job for Russia to work out.

My point was that without the backing of China, Russia will fall. Period. We've played this game once already and Russia had much more influence and power then than they do now.

If I were Putin I would just bow down to America. Without China they can't win. That being said I lack the inside knowledge Putin has about the real state of affairs.

Phew I thought I had missed your anti-Russian propaganda thread but here it is bang on time. There is 3 things certain in this life, death, taxes and Xcathdra posting an anti-Russian thread every 2-3 day's.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Russia gets much of their money from the sale of oil.. Did anyone notice the price per barrel of oil had dipped to around 90 USD a couple of weeks ago ? I don't know how much influence the USA has on the overall pricing .... but talk about hurting them by restricting their cash flow... @ 90 Russia can not be to happy and it throws their budget all out of whack.... IMO

The USA, on the other hand, just keeps printing money and throwing it at the Pentagon war machine.

$18Trillion debt but can't let the defence contractors slip a percentage point or two!
Sure, it's gotta be paid back, with interest, but they'll just create more out of thin air (and borrow it at interest again) and stick the taxpayers with the bill. I mean, it's not like they are ever going to have to pay any of it back themselves.

a reply to: tavi45

China need land and resources. China army can walk to Moscow. China Army have to swim to Washington. You do the math. China aint stupid but Russia is.

originally posted by: Britguy
The USA, on the other hand, just keeps printing money and throwing it at the Pentagon war machine.

$18Trillion debt but can't let the defence contractors slip a percentage point or two!
Sure, it's gotta be paid back, with interest, but they'll just create more out of thin air (and borrow it at interest again) and stick the taxpayers with the bill. I mean, it's not like they are ever going to have to pay any of it back themselves.

It's called the "Pentagon" Standard. US dollar no longer backed by gold, it is backed by the Department of Defense.

Usa is growing and thriving again better than ever and Russia is back to crawling period, sounds like reality... I think the reality is other way around but sure its better if we "know" the other reality for little while longer

a reply to: Xeven

Funny that! So does Israel. Hence all this crap in Syria and Iraq with ISIS.

All this stuff with Syria has something to do with Russia as well in regards to the Iranian Gas Pipelines that Russia has business with. The EU take over of Ukraine and the framing of Russia in some False Flags like MH-17 is directly related to the operations Israel, US, UK and their allies are carrying out in Syria and Iraq.

China has a hand in this as well you know especially since the US has been interfering in the Democracy protests in Hong Kong with it's CIA sponsored “Color Revolutions’.

I don't know why people keep demonizing Russia when it's clearly Western Resource interests that are manipulating every thing!

originally posted by: Britguy
The USA, on the other hand, just keeps printing money and throwing it at the Pentagon war machine.

$18Trillion debt but can't let the defence contractors slip a percentage point or two!
Sure, it's gotta be paid back, with interest, but they'll just create more out of thin air (and borrow it at interest again) and stick the taxpayers with the bill. I mean, it's not like they are ever going to have to pay any of it back themselves.

Indeed your right, for the majority of the western news outlets they are recently spending there time attacking and claiming that Russian economy would collapse yet they for some strange are ignoring the ever growing $18Trillion debt, which is isn't slowing down.

China has basically made America's military.

a reply to: Xcathdra

As to your question what should Putin do. Do you want Putin and Russia to bow down to the dominance of the Saudi kingdom and its spread of wahhabism/Sunnism control in the middle east?


I know what your probably thinking.

Russians Need Democracy, and Rights for LGBT, Gulags need be replaced with an Euporean Justice System.

-Criminals in Europe are fairly treated far better then America's jails, yet the Euporean Justice System depended on the case would usually let go of the prisoner.
-Mafia members are usually caught then released in time.
-In Italy mafia rules the justice system and police as in elsewhere with some exceptions.

The issue of Rights for LGBT in Russia is quite a touchy subject, as the only reason for the burst of the American government agaisnt the Russian government on the issue of LGBT in Russia is mainly as the resulted because of the events in Syria which i am quite you sure remember how desperate America's government was to militarily intervene into Syria, and so on.

Russia was gaining influence because of the Syria issue and the consequences of the western actions in Libya. America's response towards Russia on rights for LGBT in Russia is nothing more then a childish tantrum.

LGBT Was None Issue in the 90s Why Focus on it Now? America's influence dimming?

During the 80s and 90s as i remember with the growing spread of AIDs, no one not even one single western politician cared if you were LGBT or agaisnt LGBT.

Yet ever since Russia had prevented the intervention in Syria and Russia's Olympics all of suddenly western news outlets news programs started pretending to show that the western societies now all of sudden started caring, such as by allowing..
-Gay adoptions
-Forcible Gay Marriage
-Forcible Gay pride parades into the Balkans
-LGBT Education on Children.

I do support the LGBT people but not in this manner which the western governments have being trying to achieve.
You cant Join the EU If you dont allow Gay parade


Ask yourselves a question why is America's gov and Europe's forcing its nation upon this? while knowingly western's own ally in the gulf states.

Don't have any rights for the LGBT community? why are they pushing Russia so hard? you know why? its mainly due to the America's influence which is dimming.




Its ironic that your criticizing and attacking Russia interests in the eastern European region without knowing the history of it.
Yet i haven't seen anyone criticizing America''s trillion debt economy oh but Russia is an exception because Putin is in power.


Canada religious ambassador just recently attacked Putin because he was defending the Christians in Syria, why is that? since when and what have Canada, America ever done for the Christians in Syria or Iraq over the past 30 years? absolutely nothing.



Oh and dont see this as an off topic because i just answered your question.

Double post sorry.