Ukraine unlikely to be able to push Russia out entirely: US general

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A senior US general said Wednesday there was a low probability that Ukraine would be able to force Russia out militarily, including in the territories under Moscow's control, such as Crimea.

"The probability of a Ukrainian military victory, kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine to include... Crimea, the probability of that happening anytime soon, is not high militarily," Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chair General Mark Milley said Tuesday.

This comes after Russia's Defense Ministry announced last week the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and equipment from the right bank of the Dnipro River, Kherson, as Moscow noted that there will be a need to build defenses on the left bank. Soon after, Ukrainian forces entered Kherson.

Commander of the Joint Russian Forces in Ukraine Sergey Surovikin reported last Wednesdayto Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that it was necessary to withdraw the troops from the right bank of the Dnipro river, including the city of Kherson, and organize a defense on its left bank, and the proposal was accepted by the minister.

Last Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the transfer of Russian troops to the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson Region was completed at 5.00 Moscow time (02:00 GMT).

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the advance of Ukrainian troops over the past two days in some areas in the Kherson Region did not exceed 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Kherson, along with 3 neighboring regions of DPR, LPR, and Zaporozhye, voted to join the Russian Federation in September. The vote was later approved by Moscow following legal and political procedures and finalized on October 5.

Following the accession of the regions into Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to protect Russia's new territories, by all means, saying Moscow would rebuild all the leveled cities and towns and back the industrial sector, develop enterprises, upgrade the infrastructure, and introduce healthcare systems.

China attack on Taiwan 'strategic mistake'

The Pentagon's top general also warned Wednesday that any Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a strategic mistake as "bad" as Russia's war in Ukraine.

"I think it would be unwise, it would be a political mistake, a geopolitical mistake, a strategic mistake, similar to what the strategic mistake is that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has made in Ukraine," Milley added.

Taiwanese authorities discovered on Saturday 36 Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and three PLA Navy (PLAN) vessels in the environ of the island, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

The tweet stated that "36 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around our surrounding region were detected today (Nov. 12, 2022) until 1700(GMT 8). #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and responded to these activities with aircraft in CAP, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems."

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in a statement to The Atlantic voiced his remarks regarding what he claimed to be a "threat of Chinese invasion".

"If the [People's Liberation Army] wants to do something drastic, [Chinese President] Xi has to weigh the costs. He has to think twice," Tsai was quoted as saying to the former White House official by RT news.

Taiwan, however, anticipates that the western nations would finance its military in order to repel a hypothetical invasion by China. Tsai stated while speaking to RT television, "The Western countries, particularly the US, are helping Ukraine. What we see from the Ukraine war is Western countries get together and help Ukraine to fight."

Beijing has reiterated on numerous occasions that the one-China principle was a political foundation of US-Sino relations, explaining that the US violated its own obligations and has been jeopardizing bilateral cooperation, as well as peace and stability in the region.