Vladimir Putin has promised to give his army everything it asks for in a meeting with Russia’s top military officials as the war in Ukraine enters its 11th month.
Speaking in Moscow at the closing meeting of the Defense Ministry’s expanded board, Putin said there were no “funding limits” for the military. “The country, the government will give whatever the army asks for. Everything,” the Russian president added.
Russia is expected to dramatically increase military spending over the next two years as Putin signals he is preparing for a protracted and costly war with Ukraine. Earlier this month, he said the conflict could become a “long-term process” and the Kremlin showed no intention of abandoning its maximalist goals of regime change in Ukraine.
Putin’s speech on Wednesday was also an acknowledgment that the mobilization he announced in September – the first since World War II – has not gone smoothly.
There have been public expressions of anger from citizens about the way the mobilization was conducted, including complaints that the conscripts were not adequately prepared and equipped.
“The partial mobilization that has taken place has revealed certain problems, as everyone well knows, that must be resolved quickly,” he said.
“I ask the Ministry of Defense to be attentive to all civilian initiatives, including taking into account criticism and responding properly, in a timely manner.”
Hailing Russian troops as “heroes”, Putin said half of the 300,000 mobilized troops were currently deployed away from the battlefield.
“This is a sufficient reserve to carry out the special military operation,” Putin said.
Senior Ukrainian officials said Moscow was keeping its recently mobilized troops for future offensives.
“The second part of the mobilization, approximately 150,000, began their training courses in various camps,” Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said last week.
“The [draftees] take a minimum of three months to prepare. This means that they are trying to start the next wave of the offensive probably in February, like last year. This is their plan.”
Crucially, Putin again defended what Moscow called its “special military operation”, repeating his previous claims that the West was responsible for the conflict, which he said was “inevitable”.
“What is happening now in Ukraine is a common tragedy, but it is not the result of Russian policy … This conflict was inevitable – better to have it today than tomorrow.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was scheduled to arrive in Washington on Wednesday to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House and address a joint session of Congress.
During the trip — Zelensky’s first known foreign visit since the Russian invasion — the Ukrainian president will also meet with congressional leadership and Republican and Democratic national security committee officials.
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Earlier on Wednesday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a publicized visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi told Medvedev that his administration had “actively promoted peace and negotiations,” according to state-run China Central Television.
“China hopes that the relevant countries can remain rational and restrained, hold comprehensive talks and resolve mutual security concerns through political methods,” Xi said.
Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said he and Xi discussed the two countries’ “boundless” strategic partnership as well as the “conflict in Ukraine.”
He added that he had delivered a message from Putin to the Chinese leader.
China has avoided blaming Russia for its role in Ukraine, instead accusing NATO of “confounding Europe.”
At the same time, the US said it had seen no evidence of China providing military equipment to Russia, while Beijing also put its signature on a G20 declaration in November saying “most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine”.
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