Milley says Ukraine unlikely to retake all of its territory this year

Gen. Mark Milley, Who is Chairman of the Joint Staff, has stated that it is unlikely that Ukraine will be able to accomplish its goal of regaining all its territory that fell under Russian occupation, by the end of this year.

This assessment aligns with his earlier assessment in the fall. It is significant given Kyiv’s stated goals of pushing out all Russian forces from Ukraine while also regaining Crimea.

In an interview with Defense One on Friday, Milley said, “I don’t think it’s likely to be done in the near term for this year,” adding, “You’re looking at a couple hundred thousand Russians who are still in Russian-occupied Ukraine. I’m not saying it can’t be done. I’m just saying it’s a very difficult task.”

The front lines of the war are currently in the town of Bahkmut, located at the eastern part of Ukraine. The fighting has been ongoing in the city for months, with both sides suffering significant casualty counts. Milley informed lawmakers this week that the Russian army is getting hammered in the vicinity of Bahkmut.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed concern over the will of the Ukrainian people to continue the fight if they lose Bakhmut, explaining that “Our society will feel tired if they lose Bakhmut. Our society will push me to have a compromise with them.”

One of Ukraine’s significant asks of the United States is to provide ATACMS long-range missiles as part of its military aid, but the Biden administration has failed to fulfill it, citing inadequate supply stockpiles of ATACMS missiles. Milley also explained in the same interview that only a few ATACMS missiles are available with the American military, and they need to maintain a sufficient munitions inventory.

Finally, the Joint Chief warned this week that the U.S.’s munition inventory is at risk and thus needs DOD attention. He explained that “If there was a war on the Korean peninsula or great power war between the United States and Russia or the United States and China, the consumption rates would be off the charts,” he said. “So I’m concerned. I know the secretary is … we’ve got a ways to go to make sure our stockpiles are prepared for the actual contingencies.”

The department is planning to invest $30 million in the industrial base in the 2024 fiscal year budget to ensure “buy the maximum number of munitions that American industry can produce.”, added Austin during the same hearing.