KIEV (Sputnik) — Ukraine should not cut its defense budget next year, Secretary of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said Thursday.
Turchynov said that "despite all difficulties, the spending on security and defense [in Ukraine's budget for the next year] must not decrease."
The government must provide its army with modern weaponry and equipment, as well as guarantee a decent salary to Ukrainian military staff, Turchynov added.
According to Ukraine's military doctrine, Kiev must allocate at least 3 percent of the country's GDP for defense. In September, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said it needed a $3.1-billion funding for 2016.
On Tuesday, Russian media reported that Moscow would increase the country's 2016 defense budget by $4.14 billion to a total of $48 billion.
