By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali America’s top general estimated on Wednesday that the Russian military had seen more than 100,000 of its troops killed and wounded in Ukraine, and added that Kiev’s armed forces “probably” suffered a similar level of casualties in the war. The estimates could not be independently confirmed by Reuters. But Milley’s remarks offered the highest US casualty estimate to date in the nearly nine-month conflict, and came as Ukraine and Russia face a potential winter lull in fighting that experts say could provide an opportunity for some kind of negotiations. Asked about the prospects for diplomacy in Ukraine, Milley noted that the early refusal to negotiate in World War I worsened human suffering and led to millions more casualties. “So when there is an opportunity for negotiation, when peace can be achieved … seize the moment,” Milley told the Economic Club of New York. Earlier on Wednesday, Russia announced that its troops would withdraw from the western bank of the Dnipro River near the strategic southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, in a major setback for Moscow and a potential turning point in the war. Some experts say the latest setback for Moscow could allow Ukraine to negotiate from a position of strength, while others argue Russia may use the negotiations to buy time to reset and rearm its forces for a renewed spring attack. Milley said initial indicators suggested Russia was following through with its withdrawal from Kherson. But he warned it could take time to complete. “It’s not going to take them a day or two, it’s going to take them days and maybe even weeks to pull those forces south of that river,” Milley said, estimating that Russia probably had 20,000 to 30,000 troops north of the Dnipro River. in that area. The United States and its NATO allies have no direct intervention in Ukraine, but are arming, advising and enabling their military to defend Kyiv against invading Russian armies. The story continues Milley said the conflict so far has displaced somewhere between 15 million and 30 million Ukrainians and killed possibly 40,000 Ukrainian civilians. “You’re looking at over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded. The same probably on the Ukrainian side. A lot of human suffering,” Milley said. Despite the high casualty numbers, US officials say Moscow has been unable to achieve its goals in Ukraine and have raised questions about how long Russia will be able to withstand an invasion that has also decimated much of its mechanized ground forces. and neutralizes artillery stocks. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates)
