KYIV,Ukraine (AP) December,21— The Kremlin warned Wednesday that increasing the supply of U.S. arms to Ukraine would aggravate the devastating 10-month war ignited by Russia’s invasion, and Russia’s defence minister called for expanding Moscow’s military by at least 500,000 people.
Speaking during a meeting with his top military brass, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would take lessons learned in the conflict to “develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops.” He said special emphasis would go to developing nuclear forces, which he described as “the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty.”
The bullish rhetoric from Moscow came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to meet with President Joe Biden in Washington, where U.S. officials announced a huge new military aid package for Kyiv.
Putin also said the Russian military’s new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will enter service shortly. The Sarmat is intended to replace aging Soviet-built ballistic missiles and form the core of Russia’s nuclear forces. Putin has hailed its capacity to dodge missile defenses. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the reinforced Russian army will include 695,000 volunteers, of which 521,000 will be recruited by the end of 2023. The Russian military has so far deployed about 400,000 contract soldiers as part of his million members fighting in Ukraine.
