Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden in Washington where US officials announced a $1.8 billion aid package for Ukraine
By Bradford Betz
Russia cautioned that increasing military aid to the beleaguered nation would only make the 10-month conflict worse as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was getting ready to address Congress.
At a previous press conference in Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned journalists that increasing Western weapon shipments to Ukraine “leads to an aggravation of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine.”
Asked whether Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington would possibly lead to possible peace talks with Russia, Peskov said: “I don’t think so.”
His comments were the first official Russian reaction to news that Zelenskyy was heading to Washington – the president’s first known foreign trip since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion triggered a war that has killed thousands and laid waste to towns and cities across Ukraine.
Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden in Washington Wednesday, where U.S. officials announced a huge new military aid package for Kyiv. He later addressed Congress, where he thanked U.S. leaders and “ordinary Americans” for their support in fighting off the invaders and pressed for additional aid.
Biden said the U.S. and Ukraine would continue to project a “united defense” as Russia wages a “brutal assault on Ukraine’s right to exist as a nation.”
According to U.S. officials, the massive $1.8 billion package includes precision guided bombs for fighter jets and a Patriot missile battery for the first time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a meeting with his top military officials that Moscow would use the lessons learned from the conflict to “develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops.”
The development of nuclear weapons, which he called “the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty,” would receive special attention, he said.
Putin also stated that the brand-new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will soon be put into service by the Russian military. The Sarmat will serve as the foundation of Russia’s nuclear arsenal by replacing outdated ballistic missiles made by the Soviet Union.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the beefed-up Russian military will include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers, 521,000 of whom should be recruited by the end of 2023. The Russian military had about 400,000 contract soldiers as part of its 1-million-member military before the fighting in Ukraine began.
He also said Russia would form new units in the country’s west in view of ambitions by Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
