During the meeting held in Sochi, the president said that towards the end of this summer every military body must meet the planned parameters of modernization of its armament, and defined the corresponding figures, according to the TASS news agency.

The Army and Air Force have a corresponding share of 32 and 33 percent respectively, the Airborne Troops will reach an indicator of 40 percent, and the Navy and Aerospace Defense Forces will update their arsenals in about 50 percent, according to the Russian leader.

In general, the fulfillment itself of my instructions to the Ministry of Defense and the specialized departments of the ministry and industry has resulted in the build-up of the pace of rearmament of the Army and Navy, according to the head of the Kremlin.

Putin emphasized that the priority now is to keep up, to solve promptly the tasks related to joint competence, and meet strictly the confirmed schedule and terms of delivery.

He reiterated that by late summer the Armed Forces must meet the parameters of update of their arsenals with modern weaponry.

The first channel of Russian television showed a fragment of the meeting at which Putin highlighted the successes achieved in the last two years in discussions with military commanders and industrial companies on the progress in fulfilling state orders.

The optimization of the structure of the Russian army and its composition, as well as the weapons systems were approved last year. We have been working in some areas and making progress in each, he added.

According to Putin, the new prototypes of weapons, the military and special equipment created will reduce the need of their numbers. This means a reduction of the cost of the entire weapons program, he said.

He also added, this situation will help us not only to reduce the cost of maintenance, but also of production and implementation of the concept of the development of the automated command of the Armed Forces and of the control systems.

According to Putin, such a background will enable the phased introduction of the control of the troops’ effectiveness.

The Russian leader concluded that this system is designed for a period that extends until 2020.

(Prensa Latina)

Putin stressed at the start of talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, visible problems between the two countries and urged fix ‘the sooner the better “, he said.

Merkel arrived in Moscow on Sunday, a day after the central commemorations in Russia for victory and the defeat of fascism, in frank attitude to boycott the European presence in the celebrations in Moscow.

The German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled for two days before his meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the heroic city of Volgograd, where he laid a wreath in tribute to the fallen combatants.

For the Russian leader, the problems with the West have a negative influence on the ties between Moscow and Berlin, and Russia is striving to resolve them and promote cooperation among both parts despite the sanctions imposed by the European Union since last year.

Putin said he would analyze with Merkel issues of bilateral relations, the development of links with the European Union and those more serious matters, including the situation in Ukraine, major Russian news agencies reported.

German Chancellor welcomed the possibility of Russia and Germany to discuss bilateral relations.

We need to cooperate, even in the most complex situations, and strive to find diplomatic ways, said the head of government.

Shortly before starting the talks with Putin in the Kremlin, Merkel laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the foot of the walls, in the Alexander Garden, where thousands people from all over the world came these days to honor Soviet fighters.

Yesterday in this same place, almost thirty foreign leaders and heads of international organizations paid tribute to the victors in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) against Nazi Germany and militarist Japan at the time.

During the presence here for the festivities Putin held talks with the leaders of Cuba, China, India, Mongolia, Czech Republic, South Africa and Zimbabwe; as well as with their counterparts in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union and the UN secretary general, confirmed the press service of the Kremlin.

(Prensa Latina)