As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to address congress, Russia warned that increasing military aid to the embattled country would only aggravate the 10-month conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at an earlier news conference in Moscow that the expansion of Western arms supplies to Ukraine “leads to an aggravation of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine.” “.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officials in Moscow, Russia , on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
(Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo via AP)
Asked if Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington would possibly lead to possible peace talks with Russia, Peskov said: “I don’t think so.”
His comments were Russia’s first official reaction to news that Zelenskyy was heading to Washington, the president’s first known trip abroad since Russia’s February 24 invasion sparked a war that has killed thousands and leveled towns and cities. from Ukraine.
ZELENSKYY’S VISIT IS A MESSAGE TO PUTIN THAT WE WILL SUPPORT UKRAINE FOR ‘AS LONG AS IT TAKES’: WHITE HOUSE
Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday, where US officials announced a huge new military aid package for Kyiv. He later addressed Congress, where he thanked US leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support in fighting the invaders and lobbied for additional help.
Biden said the United States and Ukraine would continue to project a “united defense” while Russia waged a “brutal attack on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden (not pictured) in the East Room of the White House in Washington, US, on December 21. of 2022.
(REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
The massive $1.8 billion package includes for the first time a battery of Patriot missiles and combat aircraft precision-guided bombs, US officials said.
Speaking during a meeting with his top military commanders, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would use the lessons learned in the conflict to “develop our armed forces and strengthen the capacity of our troops.”
MESSAGE FROM ZELENSKYY TO AMERICANS: ‘I REALLY WANT TO WIN TOGETHER’
He said special emphasis would be placed on the development of nuclear forces, which he described as “the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty.”
Putin also said that the Russian army’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will enter service shortly. The Sarmat is intended to replace aging Soviet-made ballistic missiles and form the core of Russia’s nuclear forces.
A local resident walks past a house destroyed by a Russian shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
(AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the reinforced Russian army will include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers, 521,000 of whom should be recruited by the end of 2023. The Russian army had around 400,000 contract soldiers as part of its army of 1 million members. before the fighting began in the Ukraine.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also said that Russia would form new units in the west of the country in view of Finland’s and Sweden’s ambitions to join NATO.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
