Russia will not achieve military victory in Ukraine, says top US general
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US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin (left) and General Mark Milley taking press questions, following an online meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Russia will not achieve a military victory in Ukraine, top US officer Mark Milley said on Thursday, while also cautioning that Kyiv is unlikely to force out all of Moscow’s troops any time soon.
His comments underlined forecasts that the war in Ukraine
“This war, militarily, is not going to be won by Russia. It’s just not,” General Milley told journalists, after a virtual meeting of dozens of countries that support Ukraine.
Russia’s original strategic objectives, including overthrowing the government in Kyiv, “are not achievable militarily, they’re not going to be done”, he said.
At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, making Kyiv’s objective of recapturing all of its territory unlikely “in the near term”.
“That means fighting is going to continue, it’s going to be bloody, it’s going to be hard. And at some point, both sides will either negotiate a settlement, or they’ll come to a military conclusion.”
The United States has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging a coalition to back Kyiv after Russia invaded in February 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
In total, Ukraine’s supporters have provided nearly US$65 billion (S$88 billion) in security assistance to the country, said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The White House said last week that Washington would support providing advanced warplanes including F-16s
On Thursday, Kyiv’s supporters “discussed plans for training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including the F-16”, Mr Austin said, alongside Gen Milley, noting that “planning and executing this training will be a significant undertaking”.
The US defence chief said that a fund may be established for financial contributions to aid the effort from countries that do not have F-16s or the capabilities to assist directly with training, maintenance or sustainment.
Gen Milley explained the US shift in favour of providing Kyiv with the warplanes by saying that doing so earlier in the conflict would have taken funds away from more immediate needs, while building Ukraine’s air force is a long-term endeavour.
“It’s going to take a considerable length of time to build up an air force that’s the size and scope and scale that’ll be necessary,” he said. AFP
