Milley: It's very possible for Ukrainians to run operational-level offensive operation

20.01.2023 20:58

Ukrinform

This year, the Ukrainian forces will have every opportunity to conduct a large-scale offensive operation to liberate as much territory as possible, but it still will be very difficult for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to eject the Russian forces from every inch of Ukrainian land.

“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. That doesn't mean it can't happen doesn't mean it won't happen, but it will be very, very difficult,” Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark A. Milley said following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Germany on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He explained that the line of confrontation where the fighting is ongoing is very long, comparing it to the distance from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta. “That is a significant amount of territory, and in that territory are still remaining a lot of Russian forces in Russian-occupied Ukraine,” Milley noted.

He projected that a continued defense stabilizing the front can happen in the near future. This will depend, among other things, on the supply of Western weapons and training of Ukrainian soldiers on them.

“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,” the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

At the same time, he noted that Russia's war against Ukraine, like many wars in the past, will end at the negotiating table, where the terms for peace will be determined by the leaders of both countries. For this, the USA, allies, and partners are strengthening Ukraine's position.

However, Milley noted, there is a faster option: "President Putin could end this war today."

In this context, the General emphasized that this is a war of Putin's choice, and it is in his interests to end it as soon as possible because it's turning into an "absolute disaster for Russia."

As reported, on January 20, the 8th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group was held at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The heads of defense departments of about 50 countries, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov took part in the meeting. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the participants via video link.