Putin: West's Weapons Supply to Ukraine Won't Be Enough to Outgun Russia
The United States and its European allies have sent tens of billions of dollars-worth of military equipment to Kiev to fuel a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Moscow has warned repeatedly about the consequences of these actions for regional and global security.
Western countries won't be able to deliver enough weapons in Ukraine to outgun Russia, President Vladimir Putin has assured.
"Threats exist, of course. When weapons are supplied to a country we are in conflict with, this is always a threat. As far how they can be assessed, of course we know about the plans to supply them," Putin said in an interview with Russian TV on Saturday, responding to a question about whether Moscow considers Western arms deliveries to Kiev a "threat" to national security.
"We see, hear about and know about these delivery plans. You mentioned one million shells, about the delivery of tanks. One million - is it a lot or a little? This is a significant amount. First of all, the leading NATO countries, let's say the United States of America, according to our information, produce about 14,000-15,000 shells per month…Ukraine's Armed Forces, according to our military's estimates, use up to 5,000 shells per day of hostilities," Putin said.
"Russian production, the military-industrial complex, is developing at a very fast pace - at a pace that many did not expect. And over the same period, Russian industry will produce three times more ammunition - even more than three times," Putin said.
Russia knows about NATO's plans to ramp up shell production to 42,000 per month by this year, and to 75,000 per year by 2025, Putin said. "We don't know yet what will happen in 2025, but right now, this year, 14,000-15,000 shells are being produced, despite the fact that Ukraine's military is spending up to 5,000 per day," he reiterated.
"We are concerned about [weapons deliveries] from the perspective that this is an attempt to prolong the conflict," Putin said, noting that "from the point of view of the logic of those who provoked this conflict and are trying to preserve it at any cost, [the supply of weapons] is probably the right decision. But in my opinion, this will only lead to a greater tragedy," he said.
Emphasizing that Russia will not allow for the "excessive militarization" of its economy to match Western arms aid being sent to Kiev, Putin said that to date, Moscow hasn't reduced civilian construction, health care, education and infrastructure development, but the West will be forced to do so.
"The [NATO] arsonists plan to send between 420 and 440 tanks to Ukraine. Here it is the same thing as with ammunition. During this period, we will produce and modernize over 1,600 tanks," Putin said. "The total number of tanks of the Russian Army will be three times greater than the number of tanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Even more than three times," he added.
https://sputniknews.com/20230325/putin-wests-weapons-supply-to-ukraine-wont-be-enough-to-outgun-russia-1108787875.html