Kremlin warning: More US arms to Ukraine will aggravate war

KYIV, Ukraine (AP):

The Kremlin warned today that increasing the supply of US arms to Ukraine would aggravate the devastating 10-month war ignited by Russia’s illegal invasion and “does not bode well” for the neighbouring country, where President Vladimir Putin vowed Russia would achieve its goals.

Speaking during a meeting with his top military brass, Putin said Moscow would use the combat experience to enhance its armed forces. He told the military leaders to analyse the Western weapons used by Ukraine to “develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops.”

He said the country’s military should learn lessons and modernise based on its experiences in Ukraine and that special emphasis would go to developing his country’s nuclear forces, which he described as “the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty.”

In a speech at the same meeting, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia’s military must expand from its current size of 1 million personnel to 1.5 million service members, a number that should include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers. He also said Russia would form new units in the country’s west in view of plans by Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

Earlier, in a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the expansion of Western weapon supplies to Ukraine “leads to an aggravation of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine.”

Peskov’s comments were the first official Russian reaction to news that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was heading to Washington for a summit with US President Joe Biden. The trip would be Zelenskyy’s first known foreign trip since Russia’s February 24 invasion triggered a war that has killed thousands and laid waste to towns and cities across Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is expected to leave Washington with pledges for a massive $1.8 billion military aid package that would help his country defend itself from Russian aggression. The latest military hardware from the US would include for the first time a Patriot missile battery and precision-guided bombs for fighter jets, US officials said yesterday.

Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based Penta Centre independent think tank, said Zelenskyy’s visit could help map out future strategy.

“This is indeed a very significant and symbolic visit, which should determine the course of the war. Zelenskyy for the first time dared to leave Ukraine and is counting on being able to maintain, and possibly even strengthen, US military and economic assistance to Ukraine,” Fesenko told The Associated Press.

In Moscow, Peskov also confirmed media reports that Putin would not deliver his annual state-of-the-nation address this year. Peskov wouldn’t comment on the reason for postponing the address until next year, saying only that it has to do with Putin’s “work schedule.”

Some Russian media have linked the decision to a war in which Russia long lost its momentum. Earlier this year, the Kremlin also cancelled Putin’s yearly press conference, which has taken place every December since 2012.

As Zelenskyy travelled to Washington, Moscow also was involved in high-level diplomacy. The deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, met today with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Medvedev, a former Russian president, said in a video statement that he and Xi discussed an array of topics, including “the conflict in Ukraine.” Medvedev didn’t elaborate.

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