US Military Commander Calls Ukraine's Counterattack Far From Failure

General Mark A Milley. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - The United States military commander said Ukraine's counter-attack on Russian troop positions was far from a failure, although he acknowledged fighting ahead would be prolonged and more bloody, although casualties on both sides continued to fall.

The United States and its allies are known to have spent months building a "rock mountain" of Ukrainian weapons, training Ukrainian troops with combined weapons techniques to help Kyiv penetrate Russia's formidable defenses during the retaliatory attacks.

Asked if the retaliatory attack had failed, at least so far, US military Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said it was too early.

"This is far from a failure. I think it's too early to make such an assessment," he said.

Speaking after another round of talks about weapons to Ukraine in the fight against Russia's now nearly 17 months of invasion, Jendeal Milley said Ukraine's counter-attack would be slow.

"I think there is still a lot of fighting left and I will stick with what we said before: It will take a long time. It will be difficult. It will bleed," General Milley told reporters.

General Milley said the group also discussed increasing ammunition production at "national and at the multinational level" through the European Union, as well as plans to train and supply Ukraine with F-16 combat capabilities.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksify Reznikov said after Tuesday's talks, "the supply of weapons and equipment much needed" was a priority for Ukraine.

"Focus: air defense, ammunition, and armored," Reznikov tweeted.

Since Ukraine began its retaliation last month, Kyiv has reclaimed several villages in the south and areas around the eastern destroyed city of Bakhmut but has yet to attempt to make major breakthroughs across Russia's heavily fortified defensive lines.

Kyiv said it was deliberately advancing slowly, to avoid high casualties on the fortified defensive line filled with landmines. They are currently focusing on lowering Russian logistics and command. Meanwhile, Moscow said Ukraine's retaliatory attacks had failed.

Six weeks since Ukraine launched retaliatory attacks in the east and south, Russia has carried out ground attacks in the northeast.

Russia also spent months digging into defensive positions, surrounding them with landmines and building heavily armed strongholds, which made Ukraine's progress in the east and south slow and bloody.

General Milley said various war games had predicted a certain level of progress in Ukraine. However, the conflict on paper is different from the reality of facing complex minefields, barbed wire, and Russian trenches, he said.

"The real war is unpredictable. It is full of fear, fog, and friction," said General Milley.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said its troops had advanced 2 km (1.2 miles) around Kupiansk, the center of the frontline train that Ukraine recaptured in last year's attack. Meanwhile, Kyiv acknowledged the "complex" situation in the area.