Ukraine's counteroffensive will not ensure the complete return of lost territories, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said on Sunday.
"This offensive, although significant, has operational and tactical objectives that are limited in the sense that they do not, even if they are fully achieved, they do not completely kick out all the Russians, which is the broader strategic objective that [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy have" Milley said in an interview as cited by media.
The military official refused to speculate on how long it might take Ukraine to achieve its goals, noting that it "will take a considerable length of time."
In addition, Milley described Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive as "long, hard, bloody."
Russia began its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine launched its latest counteroffensive in early June. Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian counteroffensive had failed, with Ukraine suffering 71,000 casualties. Several Western officials also admitted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had not been successful.