ST. PETERSBURG June 16. /TASS/. Russia has destroyed 30% of Western armor supplied to Ukraine and will keep wiping it out, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday.
"It is not us who refuse to hold a dialogue with them [Western countries]: they have simply moved this dialogue to the sphere of arms deliveries. But we will torch all that they have supplied and will see what they will do next," the Russian leader said, responding to questions at the forum.
"Some 30% of supplied heavy armor has already been destroyed. I am not talking about Bradleys and Leopards alone. As many as 218 tanks, among them Leopards, and 418 armored vehicles, as I can remember, including Bradleys, are the total quantity. But there are no doubts that this process will continue," Putin said.
"They would better opt for a different pathway and look for peaceful means of resolving the dispute. But it has not come down to this so far and we see that they are trying to win a victory on the battlefield. Let them try. We will see what will come out of their attempts. So far, they are failing and will hardly achieve anything," the Russian president said.