Financing for long-term strategic programmes in adjustment of money allowances to the military, Interior Ministry reform and housing provision for officers were the subjects of discussion.

Dmitry Medvedev had working meetings with Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, which were attended by newly appointed commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergei Karakayev and First Deputy Defence Minister Vladimir Popovkin.

Dmitry Medvedev expressed his confidence that Nadezhda Sinikova will be able to make the Agency more efficient and will create an organisation capable of optimising the supplies of high quality military equipment to meet the needs of the Defence Ministry, police and other law enforcement agencies.

Dmitry Medvedev participated in the launch ceremony of a new generation nuclear submarine. The ceremony took place at the military shipyard of Production Association Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash).

Svetlana Medvedeva participated in a meeting of the Public Supervisory Board of the Kronstadt Naval Cathedral.

Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting of the Commission for Military Technology Cooperation with Foreign States.

The President set the goal of bringing the share of modern arms in the Russian armed forces up to at least 30 percent by 2015.

All outdated analogue systems should be replaced with digital systems as part of the programme to establish a common command system for troops and weapons at tactical level by 2012. This applies above all to military units in the North Caucasus Military District, the President said.

The meeting with students at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev took place within the framework of the official visit of the President of Russia to Ukraine.

The President instructed Anatoly Serdyukov to prepare a plan for developing the Black Sea Fleet's naval base in Sevastopol, and to conclude an agreement with Ukraine on developing social infrastructure there.

The President congratulated the meeting’s participants on the ratification by the Russian parliament and Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada of the Russian-Ukrainian agreement extending Russia’s lease of a naval base and presence of its Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory for 25 years.

The meeting summed up the results of the Defence Ministry’s work in 2009 and clarified its objectives for 2010.

The Russian delegation at the talks included Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and Minister of Finance Alexei Kudrin. The U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor James Jones, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.