Putin tells Russian defence industry to up its game for Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with leadership of military-industrial complex enterprises in Tula, Russia December 23, 2022. Sputnik/Russian Presidential Press Office/Kremlin via REUTERS

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday told Russia's defence industry chiefs to up their game to ensure that the Russian army quickly got all the weapons, equipment and military hardware it needed to fight in Ukraine.

Putin, who has cast Russia's war in Ukraine as part of an historic effort to push back against what he says is excessive Western influence over global affairs, made the comments during a visit to Tula, a centre for arms manufacturing.