US Military Commander Says Ukrainian Troops Only Have 30 Days To Launch Counterattack

Ukrainian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Stafff. Adriana Diaz-Brown)

JAKARTA - The United States' highest generals say Ukraine has only 30 days left to fight, before winter weather blocks retaliatory attacks to retake its occupied territory of Russia.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday with the Laura Kuensberg program, US Military Commander General Mark Milley said colder conditions would make it harder for Ukraine to maneuver.

General Milley admitted that Ukraine's retaliatory attacks were slower than expected, despite acknowledging there was still resistance to progress.

"There is still fierce fighting going on. Ukraine is still trying to achieve stable progress," General Milley said, as reported by the BBC on September 11.

General Milley further said it was too early to say whether the retaliatory attack had failed, but he said Ukraine was "growing at a very stable pace through Russia's frontline".

"There's still enough time, maybe around 30 to 45 days left to face bad weather, so Ukraine isn't finished yet," General Milley said.

"There is an unfinished battle. They have not finished the part of the battle from what they want to achieve," he continued.

Kyiv's retaliatory attack, which was launched in the summer and aimed at freeing Russian territory in Ukraine, has so far been said to have yielded only small results.

However, Ukrainian generals claim they have crossed Russia's first formidable defensive line in the southern region.

"I told you at the start, this war will last a long time, slow, heavy, and cause a lot of casualties, and that's what happened," said General Milley.

In the same interview, British Military Commander Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said, "Ukraine won and Russia lost".

"That's because Russia's goal is to conquer Ukraine and put it under Russian control," he said.

"It didn't happen and it never will, and that's why Ukraine won," said Admiral Radakin.

He added that Ukraine is making progress in its struggle to regain its territory after successfully reclaiming 50 percent of the territory captured by Russia.

Ukraine's progress is also thanks to the international community that "provides economic pressure and diplomatic pressure, causing Russia to suffer," he said.

Last year, Ukrainian armed forces recaptured Kherson on November 11, while during the winter which was generally less cold, fighting continued to escalate around Bakhmut.

The autumn and winter rain did have an impact on the nature of combat. However, the slowdown in Ukraine's offensive operations last year was due to more equipment and ammunition.

Asked about the weather impact, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov said on Saturday, "the battle will continue in various ways".

He admits that it's more difficult to fight in cold and wet weather, but says it's a matter of adjustment, not an obstacle.

Tire-wheeled vehicles, he said, are more problematic in wet weather than chain-wheeled vehicles such as tanks.

However, he pointed out Russia's extensive use of anti-tank defenses and kamikaze drones also challenged him.

"So in most cases, unfortunately, our attack was carried out on foot," he said.