Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia will be extremely costly for its troops and will continue for a couple of months, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said on Friday.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, the top US military commander offered his take on the Ukraine conflict, saying, “it doesn’t surprise me at all” that Kiev’s much-hyped counteroffensive is going slower than expected.
“What I had said was this is going to take six, eight, ten weeks. It’s going to be very difficult. It’s going to be very long and it’s going to be very, very bloody,” he said, noting that Kiev’s advance has been hampered by Russian minefields.
“No one should have any illusions about any of that,” he stressed, adding that Ukraine is fighting for survival against a strong adversary.