“US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, during a visit to Kyiv, when he handed over a 28-point “peace plan” to Ukraine, told European diplomats about the missile threat from Russia not only to Ukraine, thus promoting a “quick settlement” of the war.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: The New York Times citing European officials
Details: According to the publication’s sources, European diplomats were present in Kyiv last week to hear how the US President Donald Trump’s administration will present its “peace plan”.
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The sources said Driscoll said that for years Moscow had been launching missiles into Ukraine almost as fast as it could produce them. But, he said, Russia is now producing enough of them to stockpile a growing stockpile of long-range weapons.
European officials said the hint was clear: a quick resolution was needed because of the growing missile threat that could deliver a devastating blow to Ukraine and beyond.
The NYT writes that while “it is considered unlikely that Russia will significantly slow down its weapons production even if the war ends, an end to the conflict could deprive Moscow of a potential excuse to launch missiles or drones at another European country.”
Western officials who attended the meeting with Driscoll and spoke to the NYT called Russia’s military buildup troubling and said his warning resonated.
Literally from the NYT: “Traditionally, the US would have been more likely to criticize Russia for its weapons stockpile, rather than use its production as a way to sell a peace deal disadvantageous to the target of Russian aggression.
The new momentum in Moscow’s missile production has been the backdrop for the Trump administration’s latest efforts to end the war, which continue this week as Driscoll prepares to return to Kyiv for further talks.
Driscoll, an associate of Vice President JD Vance who has become the surprise leader of American diplomacy, will discuss the peace proposal, which has undergone significant changes after opposition from Ukraine and Europe.
But the Trump administration’s argument that Russia has the upper hand in the war and that Ukraine should soon agree to peace remains valid.”
Details: The US assessment that Moscow is stockpiling missiles, which is supported by Ukrainian military data and analysts’ calculations, indicates an important change in the Russian defense industry.
Analysts note that Russia can use its reserves to destroy Ukraine’s already damaged energy sector.
They also note that Russia may threaten missile or drone attacks on other European countries.
According to an analysis of air force data by The Times, Russia fired 2,061 cruise and ballistic missiles at Ukraine last year, and plans to fire even more this year.
But even with the increasing intensity of shelling, Russia still has hundreds of additional missiles in storage.
“Launches are not keeping up with production,” said Fabian Hoffmann, a missile weapons expert at the University of Oslo who follows the war in Ukraine.
According to Fabian Hoffmann, a missile weapons expert at the University of Oslo who follows the war in Ukraine, Russia may be stockpiling in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as a military conflict outside Ukraine, or to increase pressure on Kyiv.
Ballistic missiles are already being launched into Ukraine at a rate faster than Ukraine can provide two types of interceptors capable of shooting them down: the American Patriot and the French and Italian SAMP/T missiles.
This trend, says Hoffman, points to a time when Ukraine will be left without interceptors to defend Kyiv. “This is of great concern” to those who monitor the number of missiles, he added.
While Driscoll may have cited the growing missile stockpile as a reason Ukraine should end the war, Hoffman warned that Russia’s stockpile would only grow if hostilities ceased.
“If Russia emerges victorious from this war, it can feel very bold in the future and have a huge stockpile of long-range weapons,” he said.
What preceded: The media reported that Driscoll, during a visit to Kyiv, when he handed over a 28-point “peace plan” to Ukraine, told Ukrainian officials about the “looming threat of defeat” and the deterioration of Kyiv’s negotiating position if hostilities continued.
The media also learned that the Russian negotiating team wanted Witkoff to present the Russian “peace plan” as invented by the USA.
We will remind: On November 25, Trump announced that he had instructed Witkoff and Driscoll to finalize the terms of the draft “peace agreement” with the Russian Federation and Ukraine, for which Witkoff will go to Moscow, and in the event of the final stage of its preparation, Trump will meet with Putin and Zelensky.
According to Trump, the biggest concession from Russia is that it will agree to stop hostilities and not seize new territories.
According to CNN, the US and Ukraine still have different views on three points of the “peace agreement” – including that Ukraine withdraw from the unoccupied part of Donetsk without a fight.