ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday proposed the launch of a program to equip forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with modern Russian weapons.

“We propose launching a large-scale program to equip collective forces with modern Russian weapons and equipment that have proven their effectiveness in actual combat,” Putin said in an address to a CSTO leaders’ summit in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, adding that they plan to organize a series of joint exercises in this spirit.

Speaking about Moscow's chairmanship in the military alliance, which will begin on Jan. 1, 2026, Putin said that Russia will continue to work closely with its allies regarding all matters related to bolstering the alliance’s military potential.

Putin said they will prioritize efforts to improve the combat readiness of national contingents, as well as the command and control of collective forces, but that much work remains to be done to improve mechanisms for deploying peacekeeping forces.

“We see developing cooperation between our states to ensure the CSTO's technological leadership in the military sphere as a key priority for the Russian presidency, and we intend to place particular emphasis on deepening cooperation between defense industry enterprises,” he added.

The Russian president also said Moscow believes that the development of the alliance’s aviation and air defense systems requires “special attention.”

"During our chairmanship, we plan to begin jointly developing a new CSTO anti-terrorism strategy. We will strive to do everything necessary to further decisively combat extremism," Putin added.

He went on to note that Moscow will host the next leaders' summit of the CSTO on Nov. 11, 2026.

The CSTO is a military alliance formed in 2002, which consists of Russia and the former Soviet states of Armenia, which suspended its participation in CSTO activities in early 2024, as well as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.