Bloody battles continue between Russian and Ukrainian forces on the Bakhmut front in eastern Ukraine.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the time has come to intensify the production of the necessary munitions for Ukraine, in return, Moscow announced an increase in its production of hypersonic missiles.
While China revealed that it intends to announce a peace initiative to end the war in Ukraine, the United States warned it against providing any "material support" to Russia in Ukraine.
Von der Leyen added, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, that she is confident that the common European Union interest in Ukraine obtaining more ammunition will prevail over the interests of individual countries when it comes to joint European defense procurement programs.
And she stressed that the Russian war on Ukraine expresses "Putin's imperialist plans", which are unacceptable and deal with the United Nations Charter without respect.
As for NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, he also warned at the Munich Security Conference of the consequences of Russian President Vladimir Putin's victory in the war against Ukraine.
He said that Putin "if he wins in Ukraine, it will be a message to him and other autocrats, that they can resort to violence to get everything they want."
He added that there is no room for retreat, because the Kremlin wants a different Europe in which Russia controls its neighbors, as he put it.
Increase military production
On the other hand, Sergey Chemezov, head of the state-owned arms company "Rostec", said that the Russian defense industry has greatly increased the production of hypersonic Kinjal missiles.
Russian television quoted Chemezov as saying that Russia had increased production in all aspects of the defense industry up to 50 times in some cases.
He explained that ammunition factories in particular have increased their production significantly.
However, recent reports by Russian military bloggers stated that units of soldiers fighting in Ukraine faced a shortage of ammunition.
Chemezov said that Russia will produce 300 new combat helicopters by the end of this year.
European statements
In a related context, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Faillon said that Europe should be prepared for the idea that the war in Ukraine may last longer than expected.
Fayon added - in an interview with Al-Jazeera on the sidelines of her participation in the Munich Security Conference - that Europe must be united in defending Ukraine and assisting it in the war against Russia.
For her part, the Dutch Minister of Defense said that Ukraine can count on its partners in terms of military training and ammunition.
And the Dutch Minister of Defense confirmed - during an interview with Al-Jazeera on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference - that despite the passage of a year since the war, Russia has not achieved its goals so far, noting that the only solution is Russia to stop the war.
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto spoke to Al-Jazeera in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Munich conference, about his country's position on Russia's war on Ukraine.
He said that Finland has provided 12 packages of support to Ukraine, including equipment worth 600 million euros.
Macron's position
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted Russia to be defeated in Ukraine and for Kiev to be able to defend its position, but he believed neither side could fully win the war.
Macron added - in statements published by the newspaper "Le Journal du Dimanche" - that Ukraine must carry out a military attack that causes turmoil on the Russian front, in order for this to lead to a return to negotiations.
He pointed out that he does not believe, as some people think, that Russia should be attacked on its territory, stressing that this was not France's position and it will not be.
Chinese initiative
In turn, China revealed that it intends to announce a peace initiative to end the war in Ukraine.
"We will put forward something, which is China's position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. We will resolutely stand for peace and dialogue," said Chinese chief foreign policy official Wang Yi at the Munich International Security Conference.
Wang Yi called for resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation, stressing that it is not permissible to solve problems between countries through pressure or unilateral sanctions, and "this is counterproductive, because it leads to endless difficulties," as he put it.
In a first comment, German Foreign Minister Analina Baerbock welcomed China's announcement of a peace plan, saying it was good for China to "see the responsibility of defending world peace."
When asked about the opportunities that the Chinese initiative could offer for peace, Beerbock said, "If you work for peace all year round, you should take advantage of any opportunity for that."
American warnings
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned China of consequences if it provided any "material support" to Russia in Ukraine.
In turn, the Wall Street Journal quoted Western officials and data that exports of smart small Chinese drones still provide the Kremlin with an effective way to target Ukrainian forces.
The newspaper said that the Pentagon fears that Chinese drones not only help Russia's war effort, but also allow China to collect crucial intelligence on the battlefield that may enhance Beijing's preparation for war.
The newspaper quoted customs records that some of the Chinese drones that reach the Russian forces are transported through the United Arab Emirates.
The Wall Street Journal also quoted the Dutch government as saying that some Chinese drones were delivered to Russia via the European Union, after the start of the war.
"firm" message
Meanwhile, the White House announced that US President Joe Biden will visit Ukraine's neighbor Poland next Tuesday and Wednesday, carrying a firm "message" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he will support Ukraine "as long as necessary."
White House spokesman John Kirby said Friday that "on the same day that Biden delivers an official speech at the Warsaw Palace on Tuesday, Putin is also scheduled to deliver a speech."
From this site, which bears great symbolism in the history of Poland, and 3 days before the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, Biden intends to "send a message to Putin as well as to the Russian people," according to the White House spokesman.
Russian raids
On the ground, Kiev announced a new barrage of Russian missile attacks, which resulted in new power outages.
On Saturday morning, the warning sirens that sounded on Friday to warn of air raids stopped.
The head of the presidential office in Kiev, Andriy Yermak, said the missiles were launched from an aircraft in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.
In Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, the Russian army declared control of a town, in parallel with its attack on the vicinity of Bakhmut and Vogledar.
Bakhmut battles
And with the intensification of battles in the vicinity of the strategic city of Bakhmut in the Donbass region, the founder of the Russian Wagner militia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Friday that the town of Paraskavievka, located north of the city of Bakhmut, had been captured.
He added that despite cutting off the supply of ammunition and heavy losses, his forces managed to take full control of the town.
On the other hand, Ukrainian military sources reported that fierce battles continued in the eastern and southern axes of the city.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that its forces killed at least 7 Russian soldiers, and seized equipment and weapons on the Bakhmut front, and the ministry published pictures that it said were of the process of targeting Russian forces while trying to infiltrate Ukrainian sites on the Bakhmut front.
Ukrainian military sources told Al-Jazeera that the northern axis of the city of Bakhmut, north of Donetsk Province, is witnessing fierce battles.
For its part, the Ukrainian Staff Command said that 20 towns in the vicinity of Bakhmut were subjected to heavy Russian bombardment, stressing that the Ukrainian forces had repulsed 18 attempts to advance along the front lines in Donetsk and Luhansk cantons.