Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky greets lawmakers as he arrives to address the US Congress on Wednesday in Washington. CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES
Biden approves additional military aid as Zelensky pays rare visit to Washington
Moscow warned on Thursday that increasing the supply of Washington's arms to Kyiv would not help settle the ongoing military conflict, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky directly appealed for more support from the United States on his first foreign trip since February.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there had been no signs of readiness for peace talks during Zelensky's visit, proving that the US was fighting a proxy war with Russia "to the last Ukrainian".
Speaking during a meeting with top military brass, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would use 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".
Putin highlighted the new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, which Russian troops will be able to use from January.
The Russian leader also said the Russian military's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile would 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.
At the meeting, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said the beefed-up Russian military will include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers, 521,000 of whom would 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 special military operation in Ukraine began on Feb 24.
In Washington, US President Joe Biden pledged military aid to the visiting Zelensky on Wednesday, mentioning in particular the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems he just approved for Ukraine in a new tranche of security assistance totaling $1.85 billion.
Weapons pledge
The weapons package approved by Biden, according to a list from the Pentagon, also included "precision aerial munitions", which it did not explain in detail regarding the type and quantity. According to US media reports, they might be the "Joint Direct Attack Munitions", which would transform the unguided "dumb" bombs into "smart "bombs by the addition of fins and a precision guidance system.
In an address to the US Congress aimed at sustaining US and allied aid for Ukraine's defense, Zelensky thanked "every American" for their support of his country. He wore his trademark green military fatigues.
As Congress finalizes a new package of $45 billion, Zelensky voiced his gratitude and said the new year would mark the "turning point" in the fight against Russia.
Zelensky spent less than 10 hours in Washington before beginning the journey back to Ukraine.
Ukraine enjoys wide support in the United States, but several hard-right Republicans have been critical, considering the aid a giveaway of taxpayer money.
Kevin McCarthy, likely to become speaker next month after a narrow Republican election victory, has warned he will not give a "blank check" to Ukraine, a comment seen as attempting to mollify his right flank.
In other developments on Wednesday, Dmitry Rogozin, former Russian deputy prime minister and one-time head of the state space agency Roscosmos, was wounded during Ukrainian shelling of a hotel in the city of Donetsk.
Rogozin, who joined the Russian troops in Ukraine as a volunteer, told Russian state-controlled RT network that a shell fragment missed his spine by just a centimeter. Russian news agencies quoted Rogozin's aide as saying that he was hospitalized, but his life was not in danger.
