Milley: ‘Very, very difficult’ for Ukraine to push Russia out this year
Mike Brest
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Ukraine will have an incredibly difficult time pushing Russia out of its territory this year, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Friday, and he reiterated his belief that the war will most likely end at the negotiating table.
Milley provided his most recent perspective on the war in Ukraine during a press conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Germany following a high-stakes meeting at Ramstein Air Base with defense leaders from roughly 50 countries. The Defense Contact Group convenes monthly to discuss the latest developments in the war, and this was its eighth meeting.
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“From a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year, it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from every inch of Russian-occupied Ukraine,” he said, noting that future Ukrainian battlefield successes would be contingent upon the delivery and training of the newly allocated security aid to Ukraine from the United States and other Western countries.
“What can happen is a continued defense, stabilizing the front,” Milley added. “I think it’s possible to clearly do that. I think depending on the delivery and training of all of this equipment. I do think it’s very, very possible for the Ukrainians to run a significant tactical or even operational level offensive operation to liberate as much Ukrainian territory as possible.”
Milley also said the war would likely “end in a negotiation” and not on the battlefield.
The Biden administration announced a significant $2.5 billion aid package on Thursday, which brought the total amount of security aid provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded to more than $26.7 billion. It did not include tanks, which Ukrainian leaders recently described as “one of the most pressing and urgent needs” amid an expected Russian offensive in the coming months.
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Instead, the aid includes 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers and 59 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, which, when combined with the 50 Bradleys that were included in the previously most recent aid package, will provide Ukraine “with two brigades of armored capability,” according to a Pentagon announcement.
U.S. and German defense officials denied there were any preconditions tying the U.S. possibly sending Ukraine its M1 Abrams tanks and Germany providing its Leopard tanks, or allowing other countries that have them to provide those as well, which they have declined to do so far. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said no decision had been made about sending their Leopard tanks, though he added they’re “ready to move quickly” if a consensus is made.