THE TELEGRAPH: Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, yesterday vowed to defy Western attempts to isolate Moscow as he gave his backing to an ambitious re-armament programme.
Both Mr Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, resorted to the language of the Cold War as they pledged to increase defence spending by 50 per cent over the next three years.
But they also sought to portray Russia as the victim of Nato aggression.
As his parliament gave its support to the higher defence budget, Mr Medvedev accused the United States and its allies of seeking to isolate Russia behind "thick walls and an iron curtain."
The West's attempts to punish and pressure Russia for its invasion of Georgia last month would not deter the Kremlin from seeking to reassert the country's military might on the global stage, he warned.
Although his deputy foreign minister said that the possibility of war with the United States had been "ruled out", the president hinted that an aggressive Western response over the crisis in the Caucasus could prompt Russia to accelerate the re-armament process.
"We will continuously strengthen our national security, modernize the military and increase our defence capability to a sufficient level," Mr Medvedev said. "And we will determine what level is sufficient proceeding from the current situation." Russia Defies West with New Arms Spending >>> By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow | September 20, 2008
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