Gen. Mark Milley throughout a press convention on the US Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, on January 20, 2023.Andre Ache
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Milley on Friday stated Russia has suffered “considerably nicely over” 100,000 casualties in Ukraine.
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This marked a slight replace from a determine Milley supplied in November.
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Milley urged Putin to finish the battle, saying it had change into an “absolute disaster” for Moscow.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Workers Gen. Mark Milley on Friday stated that Russia has “actually suffered loads” in Ukraine and urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to finish the battle.
“The Russian casualties — final time I reported out on it publicly, I stated it was nicely over 100,000. I’d say it is considerably nicely over 100,000 now,” Milley stated at a information convention alongside Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin in Germany, offering a slight replace on a determine the highest US basic supplied in November.
Milley stated that the “large quantity of casualties” suffered by Russia included “common navy, and in addition their mercenaries within the Wagner Group and different sort forces which might be preventing with the Russians.”
“Putin may finish this battle right now,” Milley stated, “It is turning into an absolute disaster for Russia.”
“Ukraine has additionally suffered tremendously,” Milley added. ” that there is a important quantity of harmless civilians which were killed in a results of the Russian actions. The Russians are hitting civilian infrastructure. There is a important quantity of financial injury, a major quantity of injury to the vitality infrastructure, and the Ukrainian navy has suffered a major quantity of casualties themselves.”
“This can be a very, very bloody battle, and there is important casualties on each side,” Milley stated, occurring to say that “in the end” negotiations must happen to deliver the battle to a conclusion.
Russia has proven no indicators of taking steps to finish the battle, regardless of dealing with repeated, main setbacks. Ukraine has additionally warned that Russia seems to be making ready for an additional offensive, as Kyiv urges the West to supply extra weapons — notably tanks — presumably for its personal offensive push.
However NATO international locations are at an deadlock on the problem of sending major battle tanks, the German-made Leopard specifically, to Ukraine, and Western protection chiefs failed to come back to an settlement on the matter as they met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Friday.
The dialogue has largely centered round whether or not Germany is keen to ship Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine or on the very least enable different European international locations who’ve the German-made tank of their inventories to supply them to Ukrainian forces. Germany would want to grant permission for the Leopard tanks to be exported by different international locations, and to this point, that hasn’t occurred.
In the meantime, the Biden administration is dealing with questions on whether or not it would ship M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. There have been indicators from Germany that it will not present Leopard tanks until the US sends M1s, however the Pentagon has pushed again on that whereas arguing that it doesn’t make sense to ship the Abrams to Ukraine as a result of the associated fee is just too excessive and the coaching and upkeep is just too difficult.
Austin on Friday challenged the assertion that choices on the Abrams and Leopards are tied collectively. In an replace on the state of affairs although, he stated he had no bulletins to make concerning whether or not the US may change its stance on the M1 and famous that Germany, which he known as a “dependable ally,” has “not decided on Leopards.”
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