Putin claims Ukraine suffered ‘catastrophic losses’ in offensive

President Vladimir Putin has said there is no need for an additional mobilisation of men to fight in Ukraine for now, but said any further mobilisation would depend on what Russia wanted to achieve there.

“There is no such need today,” Putin on Tuesday told a televised meeting of Russian war correspondents and military bloggers when asked about another mobilisation.

Last year, some 300,000 reservists were called up in what the Russian president cast as a “partial mobilisation”.

“Some public figures say we need to get one million or two million,” Putin said. “It depends on what we want.”

“Should we return there?” Putin said of Kyiv, which Russian troops failed to take in the early stages of what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Putin also said Russia needed to fight enemy agents and improve its defences against attacks deep inside its own territory but said there was no need to follow Ukraine’s example and declare martial law.

“There is no reason to introduce some kind of special regime or martial law in the country,” Putin said. “There is no need for such a thing today.”

Ukraine’s large-scale counteroffensive began on June 4 and has not been successful in any area, Putin said. He said Ukraine was suffering massive losses and that Kyiv’s casualties were 10 times greater than Moscow’s.

Ukraine has lost more than 160 of its tanks and 25 percent – 30 percent of the vehicles supplied from abroad, he said, while Russia had lost 54 tanks.

His assessment came hours after Russia claimed it captured Western armoured vehicles from Kyiv’s forces on the battlefield and following deadly Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown.

“Their losses are approaching a level that could be described as catastrophic,” Putin said.

Kyiv says it has retaken several villages from Russian forces in recent days and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said the Ukrainians were making advances and gaining ground in their counteroffensive.

In brief remarks before his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Stoltenberg said the NATO alliance was preparing for the leaders’ summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where it was expected to step up further support for Ukraine.

‘Not enough’ ammunition, drones

The Russian leader declined to say whether Moscow would launch a new offensive in Ukraine in response to Kyiv’s own counteroffensive, saying that Russia’s plans would depend on its military potential.

Speaking about weaponry, Putin said that the quality of Russian arms was improving, but that the country lacked high-precision ammunition and drones.

“During the course of the special military operation, it became clear that many things were lacking,” Putin said. “High-precision ammunition, communications equipment, drones, etc … We have them, but unfortunately, there is not enough.”

Putin said Russia had increased its production of key weapons by 2.7 times over the past year, and he also accused the West of pumping weapons into Ukraine.

He added that Russia was open to peace talks but that the only way to stop the conflict was for Western countries to end their arms supplies to Kyiv.

The comments came shortly before the US announced a new $325m military aid package for Ukraine that will include munitions for air defence systems, ammunition and vehicles.

The aid is being rushed to Ukraine using Presidential Drawdown Authority, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from US stocks without congressional approval during an emergency.

Putin also repeated his accusation that the West was seeking to defeat Russia in Ukraine and said that Moscow had its own “peace plan”.

Putin mulls leaving Black Sea grain deal

The Russian leader also said he backed a Ministry of Defence order for private military companies to sign contracts with it before July 1, something the high-profile Wagner Group has refused to do.

Earlier on Tuesday, Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said he was not sure if his men would continue to fight in Ukraine amid the bitter standoff with the defence ministry with which he has long been at loggerheads.

Meanwhile, Russia was considering exiting the landmark Black Sea grain deal that has allowed grain from Ukraine to reach the global market, Putin said, adding that Moscow had been “cheated” over the implementation of the parts of the accord that concerned its own exports.

“We are now thinking about whether to leave the grain deal,” Putin said.

Putin said the deal was intended to help “friendly” countries in Africa and Latin America, but that Europe was the largest importer of Ukrainian grain and this was providing a key source of foreign currency to Kyiv.

He accused Kyiv of using sea corridors that are meant to provide safe passage for ships carrying grain “to launch maritime drones”.

Putin said he would discuss the future of the grain deal with some African leaders who were expected to visit Russia, adding that Moscow was ready to supply grain for free to the world’s poorest countries.

The deal was brokered last July by the United Nations and Turkey and allows for the safe export of grain from several Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea.

The West has not imposed sanctions on Russian grain and other food exports but they have been hampered by other restrictions on insurance and other areas.