MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Defense spending makes up one third of Russia’s budget, but those expenditures are justified, Russia’s Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at a meeting with lawmakers from the A Just Russia party on Tuesday.

"At the moment, the budget’s expenditures for defense and security make up slightly less than one third of overall expenditures. But they are totally justified by the fact that our country is a nuclear power and has to repel, so to speak, political attacks, which are currently being launched at our country. And, undoubtedly, modernized and strong armed forces create a strong state," the minister said.

He said that it the money spent on defense are not wasted, because the defense sector creates jobs and produces goods, "which, however, bring no added value."

It would be wrong to try to cut defense losses, the minister added.

According to the minister, Russia’s 2018-2020 budget has already been agreed with the Defense Ministry.