Putin urged to abandon the policy of “guns instead of butter” in solving defense problems

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking with a message to the Federal Assembly, said that with the development of state defense in Russia, they would not repeat past mistakes and destroy the economy. According to the President, Russia can create conditions for the development of the country, while ensuring its security.

“There is such a stable expression: guns instead of butter. The defense of the country, of course, is the most important priority, but in solving strategic tasks in this area, we must not repeat the mistakes of the past, we must not destroy our own economy. We have everything to ensure security and create conditions for the country’s confident development. It is in this logic that we are acting and will continue to act,” he said.

In addition, Vladimir Putin noted that a number of civilian sectors of the economy showed significant growth in 2022. “Many of the basic, I emphasize, it was the civilian sectors of the domestic economy over the past year not only did not reduce, but significantly increased production. For the first time in the modern history of our country, housing commissioning volumes exceeded 100 million square meters. m,” the president said.

Russian farmers harvested a record 150 million tons of grain over the past year, including more than 100 million tons of wheat, the president added. By the end of the agricultural year, by June 30, 2023, Russia will be able to bring the total volume of grain exports to 55–60 million tons. “Just 10–15 years ago, it seemed just a fairy tale, an unrealistic plan,” the head of state noted.

According to Vladimir Putin, Russia has every opportunity to achieve similar results in other areas of the economy.

Milena Kostereva