Ukrainian military industry officials claimed Tuesday that their country produces more howitzers than all of Europe combined.
"We produce more howitzers than all European countries combined," Igor Fedorko, CEO of the Ukrainian Defense Industries Council, told the Spanish newspaper Pais, without providing any specific figures to support these claims.
Meanwhile, Russian warnings have escalated regarding the repercussions of Western arms supplies to Kyiv. Moscow considers this move to "obstruct a peaceful settlement" and drag NATO countries into direct involvement in the conflict, in what it describes as a "dangerous gamble."
Ukraine has received massive financial and military aid from Western countries , led by the United States , since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the aim of obstructing the operation's objectives. However, Moscow has emphasized on more than one occasion that military operations in the Donbas region will not cease until all assigned tasks are achieved.
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry considered NATO countries' supply of weapons to Ukraine "playing with fire," an act of incitement that would exacerbate the crisis, undermine prospects for peace, and potentially lead to a nuclear war.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also warned Western countries against supplying weapons to Ukraine, vowing to crush them on Ukrainian soil.