MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/. Russia spends 2.5% of GDP more on national defense than before and these funds must be used very rationally, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"The minister said we are spending 6.3% of GDP on the military, on defense, on increasing and strengthening defense capabilities. This is decent money, this is about 2.5% more than we were spending before. But this is not the largest expenditure in the world, oddly enough, even among countries that do not have armed conflicts. But it is still a lot of money and here we have to use it very rationally," he said.

He noted that this primarily concerns social guarantees for military personnel and the effective operation of the military-industrial complex.

Social security for servicemen and their families must be strengthened, he added, saying, "Social guarantees for servicemen and their families must be constantly strengthened and developed. This is the most important systemic task of the state". Putin stressed that "a lot has been done in this area in recent years."

Putin added that defense spending has its limits so that other areas can develop. He noted that spending on increasing defense capabilities has grown to 6.3%. "In order for all spheres of the country, all components of the state's life - the economy, social sphere in the broadest sense of the word, science, education, health care - to develop, we cannot pump up these expenses indefinitely, increase them indefinitely," he said.