russia is talking about increasing its missile arsenal to deter the West, as moscow is now in open confrontation with the United States and its allies. According to Reuters, this was stated by a russian diplomat, UNN reports.
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According to russian and American diplomats, russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused the worst break in relations between russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
russia has ramped up its weapons production and, according to the United States, will produce more artillery this year than all 32 NATO members combined.
Reuters quotes russian Ambassador-at-Large grigory mashkov as saying that russia is now at the stage of "open confrontation, which I hope will not lead to direct armed conflict." He added that russia needs to continue "building up its missile arsenal.
He also said that russia needs to do more than it is doing now, given what he said is the growing threat from the West and technological advances in most types of missiles, from tactical to intercontinental.
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According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, in 2024 russia plans to spend 7.1% of its gross domestic product on military needs, or more than a third of all government spending.