Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley urged Kyiv and Moscow to find a “political solution” as the winter months approach, warning that Chances of achieving a comprehensive military victory It was “unbearable”.
“It wants to negotiate from a position of strength. Russia is now standing on its back,” Milley told reporters after the seventh session of the Ukraine Contact Group. “The probability of Russia achieving its strategic goals in invading Ukraine…is close to zero.”
But he also warned that Russia’s ability to draw more men into its ranks despite heavy casualties and the fact that it still occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine means the war will not end anytime soon.
ARLINGTON, VA – NOVEMBER 16: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley speaks during a news conference after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group at the Pentagon on November 16, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Image)
“Now Ukraine has achieved great success,” he continued. Recent gains in Kharkiv and Kherson. But Kherson and Kharkiv are relatively young.
He added, “In terms of probability, the probability of a Ukrainian military victory, which is defined as the expulsion of the Russians from all over Ukraine, to include what they claim is Crimea… is not high militarily.”
Millie made headlines last week when he He proposed peace talks It could start between Kyiv and Moscow after the Armed Forces of Ukraine experienced another major success when the Russians withdrew from Kherson.
Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin doubled down on these suggestions after the general faced some criticism for allegedly obfuscating Washington when it came to US support for Ukraine.
ARLINGTON, VA – NOVEMBER 16: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley speak to members of the press after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group at the Pentagon on November 16, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Image)
The Polish president says that the missile that fell on NATO territory was launched from Russia.
The two security officials noted that while there may be some tactical advantages to fighting once the ground freezes, winter weather in warfare usually has a slow effect.
“President Biden and President Zelensky himself said that at the end of the day it will be a political solution,” Milley said. “If there is a slowdown in actual tactical combat, if that happens, that could become a window of maybe, maybe not, a political solution, or at least the beginning of talks to start a political solution.”
Milley said that Russia occupies an area of about 560 miles long by 50 miles wide of Ukrainian territory.
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office on Saturday, June 18, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a meeting with military officials during his visit to the war-hit region of Mykolaiv.
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)
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“It’s not a small piece of land,” he added. “Physically expelling the Russians from Ukraine is a very difficult task.”
Zelensky said he would not participate in peace talks with Russia until they withdraw all forces from Ukraine, including Crimea, and pay for their war crimes.
