Speaking to an interviewer from Russian state media channel Россия 1, Col. Gen. Mordvichev says the quiet part out loud regarding the broader goals of Russian policy: namely that the ambition of conquering Ukraine is only a stepping stone to attacking the rest of Eastern Europe, a course of action which he presents as a necessity (“we will have to attack”).
I would opine that statements like these, brazenly uttered to domestic mass media by a senior military figure, are indicative of the realities of Russian ambitions: to revive Russian imperial domination of Eastern Europe by force of arms.
It’s just domestic politics, as usual. There are those within the government that want to spend less money on everything, there are those concerned about anti-war movements or general apathy in the population, a historic resistance against military buildup and the chancellor is unwilling to ruffle anyone’s feathers by actually committing to any rearmament plan. Half-measures are the name of the game.