Pentagon doubts that Kyiv will be able to return lost territories in near term

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he wants every Russian out of Russian-occupied Ukraine. But earlier this year, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said it would be a “very, very difficult task.”

“You’re looking at a couple hundred thousand Russians still in Russian-occupied Ukraine. I’m not saying it can’t be done. I’m just saying it’s a very difficult task,” Milley said in March.

Report informs, citing Al Arabaiya, that on Thursday, he reiterated his belief that it would be challenging to accomplish this goal “in the near term.”

Milley said fighting would continue. “It’s going to be bloody, and it’s going to be hard. And at some point, both sides will either negotiate a settlement or come to a military conclusion,” he said.