Kremlin Spokesman: Trump’s Defense Spending Proposal Deserves Attention

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that President Trump’s idea for a deal among US, China, and Russia to scale back military and in particular weapons spending in favor of more productive uses “deserves attention and high regard.“

Peskov says Russia broadly favors discussion of any calls for disarmament. Trump made the suggestion Thursday during a meeting with China’s Vice PM Liu He. Liu said that the idea had merit and warranted further discussion.

Russia has the least to lose from such a proposal, as their military spending is already far lower than China, and less than 10% that of the United States. Their inclusion at all seems to be a nod to historical spending, as Russia’s military spending is small compared to the others, and already planned to decline going forward.

Trump’s proposal could be a big break for the US budget, which has been struggling with soaring military spending for years, and between the three nations, nearly a trillion dollars in annual spending is up for discussion, with the idea to replace spending it on military with virtually anything else.