The US has accused Russia of pact violations - charges that Russia has denied.
Putin said the US accusations are part of a 'propaganda' campaign to pave the way for the US withdrawal.
He emphasised that Russia will 'ensure its security without entering an arms race.'
Russia's military spending next year will amount to 2.8 trillion rubles (about $46 billion, £34 billion) compared to the Pentagon's budget of about $700 billion, he noted.
Putin, who declared his re-election bid last week, said he would run as a self-nominated candidate, keeping a distance from the main Kremlin-controlled party, United Russia, whose many members have been dogged by corruption accusations.
He said he would welcome political competition but insisted that the opposition should offer a positive program.
Answering a question from 36-year-old celebrity TV host Ksenia Sobchak, who is challenging him in the March 18 presidential election, Putin said today that he doesn't fear political competition but emphasised that the government would protect the country from attempts by radicals to destabilise Russia.
Putin also answered Sobchak's question about opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who declared his intention to run for president but is being kept from entering the campaign by an embezzlement conviction that he calls politically motivated.
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