WASHIGTON - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley said Thursday, he expects Russia’s war with Ukraine to “be a long slog” as Ukraine fights to maintain its territorial integrity with no signs on the horizon that the Kremlin will stop its aggression.
“I would say that ‘what does winning look like?’ I think winning is Ukraine remains a free and independent nation that it’s been since 1991 with their territorial integrity intact. That’s going to be very difficult. That’s going to be a long slog,” Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Ukraine has successfully defeated Russia’s initial onslaught on Kyiv, Milley said.
, but he noted there’s a battle ahead in the southeastern part of the country as Russia has refocused its war efforts there.
“They’ve managed to defeat the Russian onslaught on to Kyiv, but there is a significant battle yet ahead down in the southeast, down around the Donbas-Donetsk region where the Russians intend to get mass forces and continue their assault,” Milley said. “So I think it’s an open question right now, how this ends. Ideally, Putin decides to ceasefire, stop his aggression, and as some sort of diplomatic intervention. But right now that doesn’t look like it’s on the horizon, the immediate horizon.”
“I would say that ‘what does winning look like?’ I think winning is Ukraine remains a free and independent nation that it’s been since 1991 with their territorial integrity intact. That’s going to be very difficult. That’s going to be a long slog,” Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
Ukraine has successfully defeated Russia’s initial onslaught on Kyiv, Milley said.
, but he noted there’s a battle ahead in the southeastern part of the country as Russia has refocused its war efforts there.
“They’ve managed to defeat the Russian onslaught on to Kyiv, but there is a significant battle yet ahead down in the southeast, down around the Donbas-Donetsk region where the Russians intend to get mass forces and continue their assault,” Milley said. “So I think it’s an open question right now, how this ends. Ideally, Putin decides to ceasefire, stop his aggression, and as some sort of diplomatic intervention. But right now that doesn’t look like it’s on the horizon, the immediate horizon.”
