Top US general Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says “It would be very difficult to oust Russian forces militarily from every inch of territory they have seized in Ukraine this year. From a military point of view, I still maintain that it would be very, very difficult for this year to militarily drive Russian forces out of every inch of Ukraine and occupied or Russian-occupied Ukraine”.
General Milley said “That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but it would be very, very difficult. I think what can happen is a continued defense stabilized up front, Depending on the delivery of US equipment and training to the Ukrainian military, it is very possible for the Ukrainians to conduct a significant tactical or even operational offensive operation to liberate as much Ukrainian territory as possible”.
$2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine to counter Russian
The United States on Thursday announced another $2.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine to counter Russian aggression, bringing total U.S. military aid to $27.5 billion.
The assistance package will provide Ukraine with hundreds of additional armored vehicles, including Stryker armored personnel carriers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, mine-protected vehicles and high-mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicles, the official statement said.
The package also includes critical additional air defense support for Ukraine, including more Avenger air defense systems and surface-to-air missiles, as well as additional munitions for NASAMS previously provided by the US.
General Milley and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke at a joint press conference in Germany after the eighth meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, which is made up of defense officials from more than 50 countries.
Austin said “As Russia’s brutality deepens, the resolve of this contact group grows, and that is clear from the announcements we heard today, Several countries have come forward with key donations to help protect Ukraine’s skies, cities and citizens, and France, Germany and the United Kingdom have donated air defense systems to Ukraine, including a Patriot battery from Germany”.
Austin said members of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group stand for a world where rules and rights matter, where sovereignty is respected and people can choose their own path, without tyranny and aggression.
“We will continue to build momentum, we will support Ukraine in the long term against Russian aggression, and we will continue to work for a free and secure Ukraine and a stable and decent world,” he told reporters.
NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby claimed at the White House that Russia’s private military company Wagner is committing atrocities and human rights abuses in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.
Kirby said “Now, as his army continues to fight in Ukraine, President Putin is increasingly turning to Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner company for military support. We are seeing indications, including intelligence, that tensions are growing between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense, Wagner is becoming a competitive power center for the Russian military and other Russian ministries. Publicly, Prigozhin and his fighters criticized Russian generals and defense officials for their performance on the battlefield”.
According to a US assessment, Wagner currently has about 50,000 employees deployed in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts, Kirby said as the White House announced a series of sanctions against him, including designating the company a major transnational criminal organization.
written by: Vaishali Verma
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