General Milley Urges Putin to End Ukraine War: ‘Very, Very Difficult’ To Eject Russian Forces

On Tuesday, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark A. Milley said it would be “very, very difficult” to militarily eject the Russian forces from every inch of territory they have occupied in Ukraine this year. He urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, describing it as an “absolute catastrophe” for Russia.^[0]

Ukraine has responded to the conflict by asking for more advanced weapons systems from Western backers.^[1] After months of negotiations, Kyiv has secured tanks and is now lobbying for fighter jets and long-range missiles, which are reportedly included in the US military aid package.^[1] This package also includes additional air defence support, such as Avenger air defence systems, surface-to-air missiles, and additional munitions for NASAMS.^[2]

While Ukraine is stepping up its campaign for additional weapons, General Milley said the war, like many wars in the past, “will end at some sort of a negotiating table”.^[3] He maintained that it would be “very, very difficult” to militarily eject the Russian forces this year.

0. “Top US general says Ukraine war has become an ‘absolute catastrophe' for Russia, estimating it's suffered ‘significantly well over' 100,000 casualties” Yahoo Canada Finance, 20 Jan. 2023, https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/top-us-general-says-ukraine-213211213.html

1. “Slow but steady Russian gains add urgency to Ukraine's appeals for more Western weapons” msnNOW, 3 Feb. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/slow-but-steady-russian-gains-add-urgency-to-ukraines-appeals-for-more-western-weapons/ar-AA175dsp

2. “For this year, it would be very difficult to militarily eject Russian forces from Ukrainian territory: US general” NewsDrum, 21 Jan. 2023, https://www.newsdrum.in/international/for-this-year-it-would-be-very-difficult-to-militarily-eject-russian-forces-from-ukrainian-territory-us-general

3. “US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman: Hard to Eject Russian Forces from Ukraine This … – Latest Tweet by The” LatestLY, 20 Jan. 2023, https://www.latestly.com/socially/world/us-joint-chiefs-of-staff-chairman-hard-to-eject-russian-forces-from-ukraine-this-latest-tweet-by-the-kyiv-independent-4739647.html