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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he is open to an agreement with President Donald Trump to cut military spending by 50 percent, alongside the U.S. and China.
Newsweek reached out to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for comment via email.
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Why It Matters
If Russia commits to decreasing its military spending, it could have profound ramifications in terms of ending the war with Ukraine and ensuring security in Europe.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies' recent study found that Russia's 2024 military expenditure of $462 billion is increasing and roughly equals that of European countries combined, at $457 billion in the same year.
What To Know
In an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin on February 24 at Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo residence, west of Moscow, the Russian president backed a suggestion previously made by Trump to decrease military spending.
He said: "We could come to an agreement with the United States, we are not against it. I think this is a good idea: the United States would cut their spending by 50 percent, and we would cut ours by 50 percent. The People's Republic of China could then join in if it wants to. We think this is a good proposal, and we are open to discussing it."
But Putin also said he would have to check the amounts being discussed, saying: "Last year, the United States had, I think, $968 billion, and if you put Russia and China's spending together, it will roughly add up to the same amount. Russia's and China's spending combined add up to what the United States is spending. First, we need to run the numbers."
On February 13, Trump said that he wants to restart denuclearization talks with Moscow and Beijing, and cut U.S. military spending in half.
Trump told reporters at the White House that once the wars in Gaza and Ukraine are settled, "I want to one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, let's cut our military budget in half."
Putin also emphasized that Russia has "significantly larger resources" in terms of rare earth materials than Ukraine, and criticized Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's conduct, supporting President Donald Trump's push for Kyiv to hold elections.
The Russian leader also addressed his relationship with Trump, expressing his support for his leadership, and peace negotiations with Ukraine. Putin said that he does not believe European leaders "fully grasp" the situation, and that in peace talks, "no one can make demands in this situation, certainly not of Russia."
Moscow is increasing military spending on national defense by 25 percent to a new post-Soviet high in 2025, and its defense budget for the year will be 6.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) or 13.5 trillion rubles ($145 billion), according to Reuters.
Three years ago, Putin illegally invaded Ukraine, and currently controls around 20 percent of the sovereign democracy headed by Zelensky, who has stated that he wants to retake the land occupied by Russia.
As of early 2025, estimates suggest that 868,320 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in action. Ukraine's losses are also substantial, with estimates of around 45,000 soldiers killed and approximately 390,000 wounded.
Russia previously had plans to cut military spending by 21 percent in 2025, and it is expected to decrease to 12.8 trillion rubles in 2026 ($148.8 billion).
The U.S.' funding for national defense for the fiscal year of 2025 was previously capped at $895 billion by the Biden administration, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China's military spending in purchasing power parity terms is estimated to be $541 billion, according to the Center for Economic Policy Research.
Although Beijing previously backed Trump's proposal to scale back military spending, it seems that they have now rejected the idea as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China's "limited defense spending is completely out of the need of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and the need of maintaining world peace."
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jordan Weissman, a reporter for Yahoo Finance, wrote: "When Putin says he would happily cut military spending by 50 percent, I think we probably need to keep in mind this graph. Essentially, all Russia would be doing is going back to slightly below its pre-Ukraine invasion spending."
Shaun Pinner, a former British soldier and Ukrainian marine, wrote on X: "He [Trump] is wanting to do what?!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do something America he wants to cut the Military budget while Russia has increased theirs to 40 percent and China is practically building an invasion force. Putin jointly announced with Xi 'A New World Order.'"
Taras Mishchenko, the founder and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian outlet Mezha Media, wrote on X: "Putin said that he is ready to negotiate with the United States to cut military budgets by 50 percent—easy for him to promise, since Ukraine has already cut the Russian army by 50 percent."
What Happens Next
Negotiations with Russia and Ukraine will continue to take place over the coming weeks, although it is unknown when Trump will meet with Putin next.
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