General Milley: Ukrainian offensive slower than predicted, but not surprising

US General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that Ukrainian counteroffensive operations are currently progressing more slowly than previously predicted, but the Defence Forces are advancing with confidence and purpose.

Source: Milley at the National Press Club, reported by European Pravda

Quote: "This [counteroffensive – ed.] is happening more slowly than people predicted. I am not surprised by this. They [Ukrainian troops – ed.] are advancing confidently, purposefully, making their way through very difficult minefields."

Details: The US general called it "part of the nature of war" and stressed that "war on paper and real war are different things".

He has added that the Ukrainian counteroffensive would be "very long" and "very bloody".

"Ukrainians are fighting for their existence. They are fighting against a huge country with a population of 140 million and a large army that has a lot of military equipment," Milley said, adding that the Americans are helping Ukraine in every way possible.

Background: The White House said that the United States is in regular contact with Ukraine and will continue to provide support to ensure that its counteroffensive against Russian troops succeeds.

Earlier, The New York Times reported that the US presidential administration unofficially said that the Ukrainian counteroffensive started slowly and that its results in the first few weeks were sobering, but they were in no hurry to draw conclusions.

In an interview with The Washington Post on Friday, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that soldiers are paying for the liberation of every metre of Ukrainian land with blood, so he is annoyed by external comments that the counteroffensive is slower than expected.

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