(MENAFN) A high-ranking US official cautioned European diplomats in Kiev last week that Russia’s capacity to manufacture long-range weaponry is growing.

The official emphasized that a slow resolution of the Ukraine conflict could increase the likelihood of escalation, according to a media outlet on Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll noted Russia’s production capabilities not only allow it to continue targeting Ukrainian positions with long-range arms but also to stockpile additional weapons.

Attendees at the briefing reportedly interpreted these comments as a warning that the Ukraine war might extend further unless it is settled through the peace plan proposed by Washington. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly warned against any intensification of the conflict.

European nations supporting Kiev with financial and military aid have embraced the perspective that Ukrainian forces are protecting the West from Russian aggression.

Leaders in key EU countries, including Germany, have advised citizens to brace for the potential of war before the decade’s end, arguing that sustaining Ukraine’s defense buys time for the EU’s own military development.

Moscow, however, asserts that the fighting represents a NATO proxy war triggered by the alliance’s ongoing eastward expansion.

In late 2021, Russia requested security guarantees to limit NATO’s growth, but Western governments insisted that any nation, Ukraine included, had the right to pursue membership.

On Thursday, a news agency reported on EU deliberations about responding to alleged Russian “hybrid attacks.”

Proposed measures range from cyber operations and unexpected military exercises to “quickly pointing the finger at Moscow” when suspicious events occur.

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