Russia's defense budget has reached 25% of total spending - U.S. intelligence

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines shared the information, Voice of America reports.

She noted that NATO's actions were actually aimed at assuring the contrary, but Putin's own decisions accelerated "events he was trying to avoid," including the expansion of the alliance, when Finland and Sweden, which had remained neutral for decades, joined NATO.

According to Haines, Putin continues to believe that Russia is under threat, and he almost certainly assumes that a larger, better-equipped army will convey this belief to both Western and domestic audiences.

American lawmakers inquired during the hearings about what Western countries can do to ease the Russian president's fears.

Senator Angus King asked the head of intelligence, "How can we convince Putin that NATO is not an aggressive entity? And that we are not planning to encroach on Russia?" 

He added that he had recently finished reading a book about Russian intelligence services, which, according to the senator, are essentially a paranoid organization: "They believe that the West wants to take them over, and Putin has his backgraund in KGB."

According to him, nobody wants to encroach on Russia or otherwise violate its sovereignty, and the U.S. and its allies want to protect the borders of Europe as they have existed since the war.

Haines agreed that there is a certain amount of paranoia involved, because Putin really believes that his country's security is to some extent under threat.

According to her, Putin's strategic goals also remain unchanged. In particular, Putin continues to see NATO expansion and Western support for Ukraine as reinforcing his long-held belief that the United States and Europe seek to limit Russia's power.

Haines also noted that Putin is "trying to use global events, such as the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas, to divide us from our allies." In addition, Putin currently believes that domestic and international events are developing in his favor, Haines said.

According to the official, Moscow's aggressive tactics are likely to continue and the war is unlikely to end anytime soon.

In order to continue the war, Putin is allocating an increasing share of the country's budget to its militarization. Russia has already paid a huge price for the war in Ukraine "and is ready to pay even more,” Haines said.

Haines said that Putin increased defense spending to nearly 7% of Russia's GDP, which is almost twice the historical average.

She added that the Russian defense budget currently accounts for about 25% of all federal spending.

• As of February 16, 2024, Russia has likely spent up to $211 billion to equip, deploy, and maintain its troops in the war in Ukraine, and has lost more than $10 billion through canceled or postponed arms sales.