More than 100 000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, with Kyiv’s forces likely suffering similar casualties, US General Mark Milley said on Wednesday.
“You’re looking at well over 100 000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded. Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side,” Miley said in remarks at the Economic Club of New York.
“There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering,” he added.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he was open to peace talks with Russia to end the war but only on the condition that Russia return all Ukraine’s occupied lands, compensate Ukraine for war damage and face prosecution for war crimes.
Moscow said it is open for talks, and this week announced that it had begun a retreat from Kherson.
Zelenskyy warned that the Russians are pretending to retreat from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the strategic industrial port city, a gateway to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Miley, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer, said Russia had sent 20 000 to 30 000 soldiers in Kherson and a full retreat could take weeks.
“The initial indicators are they are in fact doing it. They made the public announcement they’re doing it. I believe they’re doing it in order to preserve their force to re-establish defensive lines south of the (Dnieper) river, but that remains to be seen,” he said.
Milley said there is a chance for talks on ending the war, and that military victory may not be possible for either Russia or Ukraine.
“There has to be a mutual recognition that military victory is probably in the true sense of the word maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means,” Miley said.
Source: Reuters, Washington Post, AP News, Eyewitness News, The Star image from Twitter: @Flash_news_ua