About 40,000 civilians were also killed or wounded in the war, Milly said. “There was a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering,” he added. The Washington Post was unable to independently verify the numbers.
Millie’s figure is a sharp rise from the 70,000 to 80,000 Russian casualties estimated by the US Department of Defense in August. For comparison, the Soviet Union said in 1988 that it had lost over 13,000 soldiers and wounded over 35,000 during the war it fought in Afghanistan.
This comes as the Biden administration encouraged Ukraine to be more open in negotiations with Russia amid growing fears in the West about the costs of a prolonged conflict that has soared energy and food prices.
Kyiv officials are open to negotiations with Russia but set preconditions including complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, agreement on compensation from Russia for war damage and security guarantees from other countries. says that he did
As The Post reported, the Biden administration’s outreach to Ukraine on peace talks includes urging officials to rescind their public refusal to negotiate with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. was included.
After Russia’s illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, Putin said the “only way to peace” was for Ukraine and the West, where the people of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia would be “forever.” to acknowledge that they have become our citizens.
Despite differences in demands between the two countries, Milly said the winter could create an opportunity for peace talks and Russia ordered a withdrawal from the strategic southern city of Kherson on Wednesday. But first, both sides must realize that complete military victory in this conflict “probably cannot be achieved” and “thus, we must resort to other means,” he said.
Ukrainian officials have suggested that Russia may simply be pretending to withdraw from Kherson in an attempt to involve Ukrainian forces in the fighting for the city. Mikhail Podlyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, warned Wednesday that Ukraine “shows no signs” of a unilateral withdrawal.
Actions speak louder than words. There are no signs that Russia will leave Kherson without a fight. Some of the ru-groups are stored in cities and additional reserves are charged to regions. 🇺🇦 is liberating territory based on intelligence data, not staged television statements.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) November 9, 2022
U.S. officials have also hinted at being cautious about reports of a Russian withdrawal. Undersecretary Colin H. Carr said Tuesday. “We’ll have to see how it works.”
However, Millie on Wednesday said of the withdrawal: They have publicly announced that they are doing it. ”
He said it could take several weeks for Russia to withdraw its troops, with between 20,000 and 30,000 people in Kherson. [Dnieper] A river, but it has not yet been seen. ”
In the meantime, Milley said there is a “window of opportunity for negotiations.”
“When peace is achieved, seize it,” he said. Said“Take your chance.”
