Putin signs record Russian budget, one-third for defense

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- President Vladimir Putin signed Russia's new budget on Sunday, which includes record spending on military capabilities as Moscow's assault on Ukraine approaches the three-year mark.

More than 32% of the nation's 2025 spending plan, or about $126 million, is earmarked for defense, a record. That amounts to 13.5 trillion rubles, and is up about 4% over this year's military budget.

Putin signed the spending plan as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskty, who has been on a nearly non-stop world fundraising tour, met with European Union officials who have traveled to Ukraine to offer Zelensky support.

The new E.U. foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, European Council President António Costa and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos visited Kyiv on Sunday to reaffirm the bloc's "unwavering support to the Ukrainian people," Costa said on X.

Putin's signature was the final approval for a budget Russian lawmakers approved late last month.

Ukraine's battle with Moscow has intensified in recent weeks, with both sides launching massive military strikes, during which Ukraine has launched U.S. and U.K missiles into the heart of the Russian capital, a strategic move for which Zelensky has been seeking approval for months.

In response, Moscow last week threatened to strike government buildings in Kyiv, and launched large aerial attacks on Ukraine's energy sector. The battle between the two countries, the largest European conflict since World War II, is draining the military and financial resources of both.

Russia's military is larger and more well-equipped than Ukraine's, but Kyiv's allies have leveled the playing field somewhat by providing billions of dollars in ongoing aid and munitions.