JAKARTA - The Russian Defense Minister on Wednesday ordered increased weapons production and accelerated their delivery to the Ukrainian battlefield, a week after United States President Joe Biden signed tens of billions of US dollars in new military aid for Kyiv.
At a meeting with top military officials in charge of what Moscow calls "special military operations" in Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the volume, quality and speed of weapons production needed to be increased.
"To maintain the required speed of attack, it is necessary to increase the volume and quality of weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, especially weapons," said Defense Minister Shoigu in a recording released by the Ministry of Defense, reported by Reuters on May 1.
Defense Minister Shoigu further said that companies have been ordered to reduce production times while repair units at the front, in eastern and southern Ukraine as well as in the rear have been ordered to increase efficiency.
Russia gradually advanced to key points along its 1,000 km (620 mile) front, declaring US weapons would not stand in the way of Moscow's victory. However, some Russian officials worry that US support will escalate the conflict.
President Biden on April 24 signed a bill providing an additional $61 billion in aid to Ukraine, including a range of artillery, rocket systems, anti-tank munitions and ammunition.
On the same occasion, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, who is responsible for the military campaign in Ukraine, submitted a report to Defense Minister Shoigu on the current state of operations.
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President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the worst breakdown in relations between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, according to Russian and US diplomats.
Last month, CIA Director William Burns warned that without more US military support, Ukraine could lose on the battlefield, but that with that support Kyiv's forces could survive this year.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said critical United States weapons were starting to arrive in Ukraine in small quantities, but deliveries needed to be faster as Russian invasion forces tried to take advantage.
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