Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed Russia’s readiness to offer his foreign allies and partners the most modern types of weapons, saying they had all been tested on the field of battle.

At the opening ceremony of the Army-2022 forum near Moscow, Putin said, "We are ready to offer allies and partners the most modern types of weapons -- from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles." 

Military professionals value Russian weapons for their "reliability, quality, and, most importantly, high efficiency," Putin stressed.

"Almost all of them have been used in real combat operations more than once," he added.

Putin also praised Russia's many allies despite the West’s barrage of sanctions against Moscow.

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"We highly appreciate that our country has many allies, partners, and like-minded people on different continents. These are states that do not bend before the so-called hegemon," Putin said.

The Russian leader added that Russia "cherishes historically strong, friendly, truly trusting ties" with countries of Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Russia is the second largest arms exporter in the world after the United States, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SPIRI).

It is worth noting that the head of state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, affirmed Monday that the military actions in Ukraine have not affected arms exports.

"This year we have already signed contracts with foreign customers worth over one trillion rubles ($16 billion). This figure exceeds some annual figures for the past 10 years," Chemezov said at the forum as quoted by Russian news agencies.

Read more: Putin: Russia air defense systems 'cracking like nuts' western weapons