U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley recently stated that it would be extremely difficult to completely drive out the Russian military from Ukraine. He added that believes that eventually both parties will be brought to the negotiating table. So much for helping Ukraine to win this war. As we read in the Japan Times:

While a new wave of sanctions pressure — in particular, the price cap imposed on Russian oil exports — has squeezed the Kremlin’s revenues, it hasn’t so far cut into Putin’s ability to finance the war. Russia still has access to billions in reserves in yuan which aren’t affected by sanctions and can help bridge budget shortfalls for as much as 2-3 years, according to economists.

Among Ukraine’s allies, too, fears are growing that the conflict will last years.

“This year it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all — every inch of Ukraine and occupied — or Russian-occupied Ukraine,” U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said Jan. 20 after a meeting of U.S. and allied defense ministers. “But I do think at the end of the day this war, like many wars in the past, will end at some sort of negotiating table.”