Russia to Export Weapons Worth $15bn in 2015

MOSCOW (PRESS TV) – Russia says its target of exporting weapons worth billions of dollars in 2015 will be met despite the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine.

Date: 22 February 2015 - 20:18

News ID: ۱۱۲۴۷

"The plan for the export of armaments worth about USD 15 billion this year will undoubtedly be fulfilled,” said Anatoly Isaikin, the chief of Russia’s state-run arms agency, Rosoboronexport, on Sunday.
"We outperformed our planned indicators under the program of military output deliveries last year and we’ll fulfill this year’s program as well,” he added.
Isaikin made the remarks at the IDEX-2015 International Defense Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates’ capital city of Abu Dhabi.

Back in January, Russian President Vladimir Putin (above) said his country’s arms sales exceeded USD 15 billion in 2014, with new orders standing at nearly USD 14 billion.
Russia plans to expand its arms sales to markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, he said.
Moscow has recently intensified military ties with its allies after neighboring Ukraine announced its plan to take part in a multinational military alliance with two NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Reports also say Kiev seeks NATO membership.

Russia is the world’s second-largest weapons exporter after the United States.
The European country has been hit with a series of sanctions by the US and the European Union (EU), which accuse Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia categorically denies the allegation.