Kyiv will not achieve its military goals in the near future, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mili said
Fighting in Ukraine will continue without a military solution for the foreseeable future, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.
Milley spoke with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after a virtual meeting of the “Ukraine Defense Contact Group,” a collection of Western countries pledging to supply Kiev with weapons, equipment and ammunition for use against Russia, while insisting they are not pro-Kiev. conflict
Ukraine’s strategic goal is to occupy the entire territory “busy” From Russia, where? “Several hundred thousand” Russian troops are currently deployed, Milli told reporters. “It may be possible militarily, but probably not in the near future.”
“It means that the struggle will 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 come to a military conclusion.” he said. Meanwhile, the USA will continue to support Ukraine.
Austin and Millie insisted throughout that Kiev was not losing. They painted the months-long battle for Bakhmut, which Ukraine lost, as a victory for the defense. They also claimed that the Ukrainians were using US-supplied Patriot air defense systems “Very effective.” The Russian Defense Ministry said it used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to destroy a Patriot battery in the Ukrainian capital earlier this month.
Milli also defended the decision not to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine any time soon, arguing that the US does not increase arms deliveries as a result of public pressure, but always sends Kiev exactly what it needs at any given time, using: solid military analysis on costs, benefits and risks.
Deploying just ten F-16 fighters would cost $2 billion, including operation and maintenance, Milli explained, while Russia has more than 1,000 modern aircraft. So the decision was made to supply air defenses to Kiev first, and send F-16s as a longer-term solution.
“It will take a long time to build an air force of the size, scope and scale that will be needed.” Millie said. He also warned journalists to curb their enthusiasm because “There are no magic weapons. The F-16 is gone, and neither is anything else.”
It has been known since February that Millie will retire at some point this year. On Thursday, US President Joe Biden nominated current Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles K. Brown Jr. as his replacement.
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