Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued this warning during a Sept. 10 interview with the BBC. He predicted that the looming winter would not only freeze the ground but also the current lines held in Moscow and Kyiv. Given this, Milley said Ukrainian forces would need to recapture territories under the control of Russia over the next few weeks.
"There's still a reasonable amount of time, probably about 30 to 45 days worth of fighting weather left, so the Ukrainians aren't done," the general told the outlet's Laura Kuenssberg. Milley also admitted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had gone slower than expected, but continued: "There's battles not done. They haven't finished the fighting part of what they're trying to accomplish." (Related: Ukrainian armed forces failed to achieve goals in three months of counteroffensive effort, Russian defense minister reports.)
Even though Kyiv made minimal gains against the heavily fortified Russian lines over the summer, the highest-ranking U.S. general said it is still too early to declare that Ukraine's counteroffensive had been a failure. "I said at the very beginning of this [war] that this was going to be long, slow, hard and high-casualty-producing – and that's exactly what it is," Milley remarked.
Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence under the country's Ministry of Defense, also acknowledged the effect of the coming winter on the battlefield. He said the typically cold and wet weather makes it more difficult for wheeled vehicles to transport weapons and soldiers, and noted that Russia's anti-tank defenses are strong.
"So in the majority of cases, unfortunately, our offensive is walking on foot," Budanov said. "[Nevertheless], the fighting will continue one way or another."
Zelensky blames delay in Western weapons for slow progress
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed his fingers at the West's delays in sending weapons to the frontline, claiming that Kyiv "waited too long." During an interview with Fareed Zakaria of the infamous "fake news network," he claimed there was "no happy ending" for Ukraine, unlike Hollywood films.
Despite being "thankful" for the weapons donated by Western allies – including anti-tank launchers, tanks, air defense systems and fighter jets – Zelensky still berated the same countries for not rushing weapons to Ukraine fast enough. The delay, he explained, gave Russia time to dig in and plant deep minefields around Ukrainian positions.
"For the weapons, we waited too long," he told Zakaria. "I'm thankful to [our] partners, but … we waited too long. They put mines. The decision to give us – for example, Bradley [Armored Fighting Vehicles] or another kind of weapon – does not mean the result."
The Ukrainian leader also noted that some things are still on the way, and that "a lot of people say [the counteroffensive is too slow." Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Russians cannot be repelled successfully if Ukraine cannot match its enemy's air superiority. It is worth noting, however, that Kyiv's Western allies have approved the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to the country.
"[Ukraine needs] long-distance weapon systems. Artillery, rounds, systems … it's very important," Zelensky said. "Everybody talks about the jets in the sky, it's very important."
The comedian-turned-president ultimately warned that Western countries giving weapons to Ukraine is a better option than having their own homes invaded by Russia later. He commented: "You can feel it when your family is under attack. You really want to try it? I cannot recommend it."
Visit WWIII.news for more stories about the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Watch this video about how the Ukrainian counteroffensive turned into Russian counterattacks.
This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
ALL BARK, NO BITE: Ukraine's much-hyped counteroffensive SLOWED by vast minefield.
The West knew Ukraine began its counteroffensive with INSUFFICIENT training and weapons.
U.S. proxy war: Kyiv's counteroffensive kills or wounds 800 Ukrainians per day, Russia reports.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.
