President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has modernized its nuclear arsenal and other forces, making it "stronger than any potential aggressor."

Speaking during the annual conference, Putin added that the United States' withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty in 2001 "created the conditions for a new nuclear arms race." The US-Soviet ABM treaty was signed in 1972.

Like Us on Facebook

"It's no secret that we have worked hard to improve our missile forces," Putin said, although admitting that the United States military is the strongest in the world.

"If anyone is unleashing an arms race it's not us. We will never spend resources on an arms race we can't afford," the Communist leader emphasized.

Despite Putin's strong sentiments, a study on Russia's nuclear capabilities said that a budget crunch is causing delays on the country's modernization effort.

Meanwhile, commenting on Donald Trump's win in the US Presidential elections, Putin said "Nobody believed he would win, apart from us."

The Russian president said that Trump's call for the United States to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capabilities is "nothing special."

The President also scoffed at the US government allegations that Moscow was behind the hacking of the Democratic Party computer systems during the recent US elections.

"The losing side is looking for people to blame outside. They would do better to look for the problems among themselves," Putin said.

He said that it is clear that the Democrats are losing ground in congressional elections as well. "So that's my work too?" he queried.

"The main thing is the information that these hackers provided. Did they exaggerate anything? No, they revealed true information," Putin said.

When asked whether he would be seeking for another term in office during next year's elections, Putin refused to reveal his plans.

"I will look at what is going on in the country, in the world," Putin said.

TagsVladimir Putin, donald trump, United States