Putin: Russia May Be Fighting in Ukraine for a Long Time

Date: 07 December 2022 - 22:21

News ID: ۱۰۹۸۹۲

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that his army could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time, but he saw no need to mobilize additional soldiers at this point.

“As for the duration of the special military operation, well, of course, this can be a long process,” Putin said.

But he said there was “no sense” in a second round of mobilization at this point, after a call-up of 300,000 reservists in September and October.

Putin said that out of that total, 150,000 were now deployed in Ukraine. Of those, 77,000 were in combat units and the remainder performing defensive functions, he said.

Putin was speaking at a televised annual session of his Human Rights Council where he complained that Western rights organizations viewed Russia as “a second-class country that has no right to exist at all”.

“This is what we are dealing with,” Putin said. “There can be only one answer from our side - a consistent struggle for our national interests. We will do just that. And let no one count on anything else.”

He continued: “Yes, we will do this by various ways and means. First of all, of course, we will focus on peaceful means, but if nothing else remains, we will defend ourselves with all the means at our disposal.”

Putin was responding to comments by a member of the rights council who said Ukrainian forces were shelling residential areas of the Russian-controlled Donetsk region.

U.S. to Allocate $800mn

more aid for Ukraine

U.S. lawmakers agreed to provide Ukraine at least $800 million in additional security assistance next year and to boost Taiwan with billions in aid over the next several years, according to an $858 billion defense policy bill unveiled.

The Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes the additional spending for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, an increase of $500 million over President Joe Biden’s request earlier this year.

The bill also strengthens the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, with $11.5 billion in new investments. And it authorizes the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act of 2022, legislation to increase security cooperation with Taiwan with up to $10 billion in spending over five years.