Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley speaks during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that Russia can no longer achieve victory over Ukraine through military means.
In turn, Ukraine is capable of liberating all of its territories, Milley said after the 12th Ramstein Summit on May 25.
The U.S. general also added that Russia’s strategic goal – a regime change in Ukraine – failed a year ago when Russian troops failed to secure Kyiv.
Liberation is unlikely to happen in the near future, however, and the fighting ahead will be “difficult and bloody,” he added.
Earlier in April, Milley said in an interview he does not believe that Ukraine can achieve a full victory by 2023.
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Russia launched 131 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 106 drones. At least 22 drones made it through, striking 15 locations.
Russia's Defense Ministry reported that between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on Dec. 24, its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 132 Ukrainian drones.
"'May he perish,' each of us may think to ourselves," Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater. We ask for peace for Ukraine."
In a hypothetical runoff between the two, Zaluzhnyi would secure a decisive victory, winning 64% of the vote compared to Zelensky's 36%, according to the poll.
The Kyiv Independent’s Myroslava Chauin speaks with Kateryna Rashevska, a legal expert at the Regional Center for Human Rights and a children’s rights activist, about evidence that Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories were transferred to a children’s camp in North Korea.
The plant, located in the town of Efremov, produces dual-use synthetic rubber and polymers used in military vehicle tires, armored personnel carriers, and other weapons-related applications.
"The role of unmanned systems on the battlefield is growing, and therefore the production of innovative instruments of war is our number one priority," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Ukrainian intelligence sources said the officers had previously taken part in Russia's war against Ukraine and were implicated in the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).
While many respondents expressed hopes for an end to the fighting, they largely expect it to conclude on terms "proclaimed as its goals," reflecting continued alignment with the Kremlin's narrative.
