Support us on Patreon
Eng
Esp
Support us on Patreon

Ukraine security official: Russia uses peace talks to stockpile missiles and expand army

Ukrainian Security Council official warns Russia exploits peace negotiations to buy time while stockpiling North Korean missiles, Iranian drones, and increasing troop numbers for continued aggression.
byOlena Mukhina
18/02/2025
2 minute read
Ukrainian soldiers. Source: 37th Marine Brigade
Ukraine security official: Russia uses peace talks to stockpile missiles and expand army

On 18 February, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, said Russia is currently using diplomacy to buy time and accumulate manpower, Korean missiles, and “Shaheds” drones.

On 18 February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held nearly five hours of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. The meeting took place amid US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine quickly without providing security guarantees for Kyiv and amid signals of the potential reduction of US support and Europe’s exclusion from the peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine was not informed about the US-Russia talks and would not recognize any agreements made without Ukraine’s participation.

“Russia is now trying to pretend that it wants peace more than anyone else — they are actively promoting the narrative of summer 2024, claiming that Ukraine doesn’t want to end the war.

In reality, Russia is using diplomacy to buy time, accumulating ballistic missiles, bringing in more KN23 missiles from North Korea, trying to ramp up the production of ‘Shaheds,’ and increasing the size of its army,” Kovalenko said.

He emphasized that as long as Russia does not slow down its defense industry and takes steps on the frontlines to halt offensive actions, it cannot be said that Russia wants to end the war.

“There are words, and then there are actions in the economy and the military,” Kovalenko concluded.

Earlier, Western intelligence officials and two US congressional sources said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin is not interested in negotiating a peace deal over the war in Ukraine and seeks to capture the entire country.

NBC News: Putin “thinks he’s winning” and seeks total control over Ukraine, say Western intelligence sources

They added that the Kremlin leader believes he can bring all of Ukraine under his control. Additionally, Western intelligence sources emphasized that Putin has no intention of withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here



    Euromaidan Press

    We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!

    Related Posts