Talking to CBS News’ 60 Minutes, General Mark Milley, who has completed a four-year term as chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that if Russia wins in Ukraine, the US would face having to significantly increase its defense spending in the coming years, while a Russian victory would increase the chances of the US getting drawn into another major war within 10-15 years.
Commenting on Ukraine’s months-long ongoing counteroffensive, General Mark Milley said:
“The counteroffensive that the Ukrainians are running is still ongoing. The progress, as many, many people have noted, is slow, but it is steady. And they are making progress on a day-to-day basis.”
Asked, how long the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war would last, Milley replied,
“Well, you can’t put a time on it. But it’ll be a considerable length of time. And it’s gonna be long and hard and very bloody.”
CBS News noted that the current frontline in Ukraine extends about the distance from Atlanta to Washington, DC.
Commenting on why it is worth it for the US to support Ukraine’s war effort, Milley noted that if Russia wins, the US will face the “increasing if not doubling” of its defense budget in the following years, and an increased possibility of getting engaged in a war in the future:
“If Ukraine loses and Putin wins, I think you would be certainly increasing if not doubling your defense budget in the years ahead. And you will increase the probability of a great power war in the next 10 to 15 years. I think it would be a very dangerous situation if Putin’s allowed to win,” General Milley said.
On 30 September, the US Congress adopted a bill to prevent a federal government shutdown, leaving out of the deal the approval of Ukraine aid.
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