(Washington) A large-scale attack by Moscow in Ukraine would have “terrifying” consequences for the Ukrainian population, but a conflict is “not inevitable”, American military leaders said on Friday, warning that Russia had now amassed in Ukrainian borders sufficient forces for an invasion.
Posted at 3:06 p.m.
Updated at 6:16 p.m.
“Given the type of forces that are deployed, the ground forces, the artillery, the ballistic missiles, the air force […] you can imagine what it might look like in dense urban areas,” Chief of Staff General Mark Milley warned on Friday, predicting “a significant number of casualties” in the event of an offensive.
“It would be appalling, it would be terrible,” he said at a rare press conference. “And it’s not necessary. We think the solution is diplomatic.”
A conflict between Ukraine and Russia “is not inevitable”, underlined for his part the Minister of Defense, Lloyd Austin. “There is still time and scope for diplomacy,” he added.
PHOTO ALEX BRANDON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet made the decision to use these forces against Ukraine. But “he now clearly has the possibility,” he added. “And he has many options, including taking large cities and large territories.”
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been deployed on the Ukrainian border since the end of 2021, a sign for Washington that an invasion could be imminent.
Joe Biden said on Friday that he would send a small number of American soldiers to Eastern Europe “soon” amid tensions with Moscow over Ukraine.
“I will send American troops to Eastern Europe and NATO countries soon. Not a lot, ”said the American president to journalists when he got off the plane, on his return from a trip to Pennsylvania (east).
The United States has already placed 8,500 soldiers on alert to reinforce NATO.
Joe Biden has however said and repeated that there was no question of sending American troops to Ukraine, which is not a member of the military alliance.
Sending troops to eastern countries would be an additional means of pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who the Americans believe could attack Ukraine in February.
General Milley pointed out that the fertile Ukrainian plains, which made it the “breadbasket” of the former USSR, freeze easily due to the low depth of the water tables. “These are ideal conditions” for armored vehicles, he warned, stressing that major Ukrainian urban centers could be directly threatened.
“And if a war were to break out on the scale that is possible today, the population would suffer terribly,” added the highest ranking American. “We strongly encourage Russia to withdraw. Force should always be the last resort.”
The Minister of Defense considered that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not yet taken the decision to use these forces against Ukraine. But “he now clearly has the possibility,” he added. “And he has many options, including taking large cities and large territories.”
The Pentagon chief stressed that there was “no reason” for this situation to necessarily escalate into a conflict.
“Mr. Putin also has the possibility of doing what is necessary” he assured, in reference to the Russian president who denies any plan of invasion, but considers Russia threatened by a possible expansion of NATO and Western support for Ukraine. “He can choose de-escalation. He can order his forces to withdraw,” he added.
Moscow has linked the de-escalation to the end of the Atlantic Alliance’s policy of enlargement, including to Ukraine, and the return of Western military deployments to the 1997 borders.