Putin urges continuous efforts to advance Russia's military prowess

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged the country's armed forces to keep alert and step up development in the rapidly changing world situation.

Speaking at an expanded Russian Defense Ministry Board meeting, Putin said Russia is currently "stronger than any potential aggressor," but he warned that there is no reason for negligence.

"If we allow ourselves to relax even for a minute, and allow at least one major failure in the modernization of the army and navy, or in the training of troops, the situation may change very quickly," he told Russian military officers.

The Russian leader also voiced his confidence in Russia's Nuclear Triad, a set of advanced armaments consisting of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, which he believed play a key role in maintaining the country's security.

He planned to further strengthen Russia's powerful complex in the coming year through the improvement of the ballistic missile early warning system, aerospace and naval forces.

Putin also underlined the need to give special attention to the research and development of high-precision weapons, modern means of communications, intelligence, management and electronic warfare, with a target of equipping Russia's armed forces with modern weapons by no less than 70 percent by 2021.

Moreover, he demanded "taking maximum advantage" of Russia's campaign in Syria to promote military and technical cooperation with foreign partners.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, also present at the meeting, said Russia had prioritized defense cooperation with partners from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, as well as members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

"Special attention has been paid to the traditional strategic partners -- China and India," he added.

Commenting on relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has declared Russia the main threat and continued to boost its military might around Russian borders, the minster said Russia would have to implement the rearmament tasks, adding that Moscow would not be drawn into an arms race. Endi