Russia will not win the war in Ukraine by military means alone, US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley reiterated on Thursday, warning that it is also unlikely that Kyiv will be able to quickly expel all Russian forces from its territory, reports AFP.

The Chief of the US General Staff, General Mark Milley, visits the West Point AcademyPhoto: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP / Profimedia

“Russia will not win this war by military means,” General Milley told reporters at the end of a virtual meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, which unites about fifty countries that provide military support to Ukraine.

Russia’s initial goals, including the overthrow of the Ukrainian government, “cannot be achieved militarily, it will not work,” the senior US official added.

On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops are currently in Ukraine, which makes Ukraine’s goal of regaining all of its territory unlikely “in the short term,” he continued.

“This means that the fighting will continue, that it will be bloody, that it will be difficult. And at some point, both sides will either agree on an agreement or reach a military solution,” he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said Thursday that the international alliance mobilized by the United States, the main provider of military aid to Ukraine, has so far unlocked nearly $65 billion in various weapons and equipment, as well as awarded contracts to the defense industry on its behalf. Kyiv.

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