US Chief of Staff Mark Milley continues to believe that the chances of an early military victory for Ukraine in the war started by Russia are slim. Milley said Friday after a Ukraine conference at US Ramstein Air Force Base that it would be “very, very difficult” from a military point of view for Ukraine to expel Russian troops from every inch of Ukraine and Russian-occupied territories this year.
“That doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” he stressed, “but it would be very, very difficult.” He believes that this war, like many before it, will end at the negotiating table. Massive combat operations are taking place and Ukraine has made some significant progress.
‘Focus remains on defense’
But the front line is very long and mostly static, Milley said. Initially, it is more likely that the focus will remain on defense to stabilize the front. And depending on how quickly arms deliveries from international partners and the training of the Ukrainian army in new weapon systems progress, a major counter-offensive by Ukraine is also possible to liberate as much Ukrainian territory as possible.
Already over 100,000 dead Russian soldiers?
“This is a very, very bloody war. And there are significant casualties on both sides,” Milley said. It’s always hard to quantify this precisely in war. However, he estimated that Russia had lost “more than 100,000” soldiers. That includes ordinary soldiers, but also mercenaries who fought on the Russian side. “The Russians must mourn a huge number of casualties in their army.” For Russia, the war is developing into an “absolute catastrophe”.
Milley stressed that there have also been significant losses in the Ukrainian army – without citing numbers. Added to this are the many innocent civilians who have died in Ukraine.
Source: Krone
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