President Vladimir Putin said, ‘Russia needs a mighty military to fend off threats near its borders’ in a stance that reflects soaring tensions with the West over the crisis in Ukraine. The Russian leader, whose approval ratings reached an all-time high this month despite a bruising recession, said a ‘powerful army equipped with modern weapons is the guarantor of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia.’ Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with graduates of Russian military academies, Putin also vowed to continue a sweeping military modernisation effort that envisions the purchase of large numbers of new weapons. Despite oil-rich Russia now being in a recession Putin plans to spend 22 trillion roubles to give the armed forces dozens of ships, hundreds of new planes and missiles and thousands of tanks and other weapons. Putin added that Russia has no aggressive intentions and aims to ‘settle any disputes exclusively by political means with respect to international law and interests of other nations.’