“Russia will not win this war militarily. It simply won’t be like that,” Milly told reporters after a virtual meeting with representatives of several countries supporting Ukraine.
Russia’s initial strategic goals, including the overthrow of the Kyiv government, “will not be achieved militarily, they will not be accomplished,” the general said.
At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands of Russian troops in Ukraine, making Kyiv’s goal of recapturing all the territory unlikely “in the near term,” he said.
“This means – the fighting will continue, it will be bloody, it will be heavy. At some point, both sides will either negotiate a settlement, or they will come to a military conclusion,” Milly said.
The US led efforts to secure international support for Ukraine, quickly building a coalition to support Kyiv when Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022, and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
In total, Ukraine’s supporters have provided Kyiv with nearly $65 billion worth of security assistance, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said ahead of Thursday’s meeting.
