Russia to boost defense capabilities, seek to normalize ties with West: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia would continue to boost its defense capabilities while calling for the normalization of relations with Western countries.

"We are not going to fight, but we will, of course, strengthen our defense capabilities, so that no one would seek battles with Russia," Putin said during his annual live Q-and-A session with the Russian public.

"We do not consider anyone as enemy and we advise others not to view us as their enemy," the president said, reminding that Russia is "a nuclear superpower" enjoying "huge growth potential and vast natural resources."

With a record high national defense budget of some 3.3 trillion rubles (65 billion U.S. dollars) in 2015, Russia has been adjusting defense deployment and speeding up its military rearmament in the face of all-around face-off with the West.

The Russian government has earmarked 20 trillion rubles (about 396 billion dollars) for the massive rearmament program until 2020. It is expected that at least 70 percent of Russian armed forces' equipment would be modernized.

The president also criticized the United States for seeking dictatorship rather than equal partnerships.

"Certain major powers, superpowers that claim exclusivity -- I mean the United States -- consider themselves to be the only center of power in the world. They don't need allies, they need vassals," Putin said, stressing that Russia is not interested in this format of relations.

Putin suggested Western countries reach compromise with Russia instead of impose their views on Russia, adding that attempts to harm Russia with sanctions were "useless and senseless."

"We are always in favor of normal relations with all states in the East and West. The most important condition for restoring normal relations is the respect for Russia and its interests."

Putin claimed that Russia has no plans of creating an empire, and regional integration projects like the Eurasian Economic Union are not supposed to bring participant countries under Russia's control.

"This is a normal and natural integration process. The whole world has chosen the path of integration."

Meanwhile, when answering the question raised by a Xinhua correspondent, Putin reaffirmed that it is natural for Russia to celebrate together with China the 70th anniversary of the victory of the WWII.

"The purpose is not only to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives, but educate today's generations and prevent anything like Nazism and militarism from happening again," he said. Endi