US Chief of Staff: Shocking figures of Russian and Ukrainian casualties
US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley announced Wednesday that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, noting that the losses in the ranks of Ukrainian forces may be similar.
“More than 100,000 Russian soldiers have certainly been killed or wounded,” General Miley said in a speech at the New York Economic Club.
He added, “The same is likely to apply to the Ukrainian side”.
The numbers cited by General Milley, which cannot be independently confirmed, are the most accurate Washington has provided so far.
The senior US military official expressed his hope for talks to end the war, because military victory isn’t possible for either Russia or Ukraine, he said.
He added, “There must be a mutual recognition that a military victory cannot likely be achieved, strictly speaking, by military means, so other means must be turned”.
General Miley emphasized that there was an “opportunity for negotiation”.
The US chief of staff’s comments came as Russia ordered its forces to withdraw from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, in a severe blow to Moscow’s military campaign.
But Kyiv responded with caution, saying that it was unlikely that the Russian army would leave this strategic city without a fight.
For his part, US President Joe Biden said that this withdrawal is evidence that Moscow is facing real problems on the battlefield.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the administration of US President Joe Biden will not give Ukraine advanced drones despite the appeals of Kyiv and a group of congressmen from both parties, which reflects the limits of the types of weapons that Washington wants to provide to defend Ukraine.
The Wall Street Journal said that the decision deprives Ukraine of the type of advanced weapons that Kyiv has requested for months.
The Pentagon rejected the request based on concerns that the provision of Gray Eagle MQ-1C drones would escalate the conflict and suggest to Moscow that Washington is providing weapons that could target sites inside Russia, US officials said.
In a related context, on the other hand, Israel says that it doesn’t have the production capacity to provide Ukraine with air defense means, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz also said, “It is impossible to empty Israel’s supplies of air defense systems”.
