“There are well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded,” said General Milley, speaking to the New York Economic Club. “Same probably on the Ukrainian side,” he added.
The figures put forward by General Milley, which could not be independently confirmed, are the most precise provided to date by Washington.
The top US military official also hoped for talks to end the war, as military victory may not be possible for either Russia or Ukraine, he said.
“There must be a mutual recognition that military victory is probably not, in the proper sense of the word, attainable by military means, and therefore one must look to other means,” General Milley said. . According to him, there is “a window of opportunity for negotiation”.
His comments come as Russia ordered its troops to withdraw from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a blow to Moscow’s military campaign.
But kyiv reacted cautiously, considering it unlikely that the Russian army would leave this strategic city without a fight.
US President Joe Biden meanwhile suggested the withdrawal was proof that Moscow had “real problems” on the battlefield.
