Milli: the right time for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia may have come

The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that now might be a good time to start peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

“It is advisable for you to negotiate at a time when you are strong and your adversary is weak,” Milley said, speaking at a Pentagon briefing.

“The Russian armed forces are facing tremendous challenges,” he added, pointing to heavy losses of Russian tanks, combat vehicles, fighter jets and helicopters.

If the fighting slows down, Milley said, it could open a “window” for negotiations for a political settlement.

“All I’m saying is that there is that possibility,” he said.

It is unlikely that either side will win a military victory quickly, Milley said.

The chances of Russia, which now controls about 20 percent of Ukraine, taking over the entire country are “close to zero,” he said.

“At the same time, knocking the Russians out of Ukraine militarily is a very difficult task. It won’t happen in the next couple of weeks unless the Russian army completely collapses, which is unlikely,” he added.

Millie and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said they expect Ukraine will continue to fight through the winter, and the U.S. and its allies will continue to provide additional support and weapons. And it will be Ukraine that determines the negotiating plans.

“We have said repeatedly that it will be up to the Ukrainians, not us. And we will support them for as long as it takes,” said Austin, who also attended the briefing.

Milley said he wanted to convey that to his Russian counterpart after the bombing in Poland, but could not reach him.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said his staff tried to reach General Valery Gerasimov, the Russian chief of general staff, to discuss the incident, but “without success.”

Milley did not go into detail about these efforts, but the lack of communication has raised concerns about a crisis in high-level U.S.-Russian contacts.

U.S. and other leaders now say they believe the strike was probably carried out by Ukrainian air defenses to defend against a Russian missile attack, but uncertainty lingered for hours.

Several Pentagon officials said it was not unusual that Gerasimov could not be reached.