President Putin suggests that the Russian Defense Industry must be one step ahead.

At the meeting, President Putin acknowledged and thanked General Sergei Shoigu for his outstanding contributions over the years, especially creating a “new look” for the Russian Armed Forces, and now “the assigned task has been completed”.

“We all understand that there is a lot to do, a lot of things are unclear before the outbreak of hostilities. For us or for everyone in the world, in one way or another, we are building up our armed forces. This is obvious. But how quickly we respond to the demands of the times will give us confidence that we will definitely solve all problems,” President Putin said, emphasizing that this explains why Russia’s military industry must be “one step ahead”.

President Putin clarified that Sergei Shoigu will now be secretary of the National Security Council, head of the Military-Industrial Complex Commission, which operates under the president, and will organize the work of the Federal Service for Foreign Cooperation.

“Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, more than anyone else, understands the need to fulfill obligations to partners in the field of supplies of weapons and military equipment to foreign markets, taking into account the fact that the needs of the domestic armed forces must be met first. This combination requires sophistication and plays an important role,” President Putin explained.

Along with that, the Russian President introduced the new Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov and his duties.

“And of course, he understands what needs to be done to integrate the economy of the entire security sector, the Ministry of Defense as an important link in the overall economy of the country. This is extremely important. Because it is linked to the innovative development of industry, and takes into account the development possibilities of the economy as a whole and the budget,” President Putin explained.

According to President Putin, Mr. Belousov's appointment as head of the Ministry of Defense is largely due to Russia's increasing military spending. By 2024, total defense and security spending will reach about 8.7% of GDP.

“We see and understand that the growing defense and security spending is, in one way or another, indirectly linked to the civilian production sector, which in turn provides an impetus to the development of industry in general, maintaining and increasing employment in the country. But this relationship between the so-called “guns and butter” must be harmoniously integrated into the overall development strategy of the Russian state. I hope that Andrei Removich will cope with this task in the best possible way,” the Russian President emphasized./.

The appointment of Andrei Belousov as Russia’s defense minister is not a “good omen” for Ukraine, according to New York Times editor Serge Schemann. According to Schemann, the new minister, Belousov, can improve the efficiency of the Russian military-industrial complex and meet the needs of the army in special zones.

The American journalist also noted that the Russian army continues to confidently advance deeper into the territories controlled by Ukraine.