US safety conditional to Russia's defeat: US CJCS Milley

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 May 2023 20:16

According to the general, a victory against Russia is a matter of existential order for Ukraine as it will determine the continuity of Ukraine as a sovereign State.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley speaks to reporters at a press conference following the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, April 21, 2023. (DoD)

US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said on Thursday that a defeat in Russia's Special Military Operation would signify a safer US because a victory for Ukraine would imply that the country's sovereignity and the so-called "rules-based order" are safeguarded.

“I think it does, because I think that ‘lost’ being defined as Ukraine remains a free, independent, sovereign country, with is territory intact, if that is the end result of this war, then I think [Vladimir] Putin will have failed in his attempts to take Ukraine and undermine the rules-based order,” Milley told a Senate appropriations committee hearing.

The General noted that a victory against Russia is a matter of existential order for Ukraine as it will determine the continuity of Ukraine as a sovereign State.

He added that the EU and US are committed to ensuring that "global stability" is maintained through the preservation of the so-called rules-based international order.

The outcome of the conflict in Ukraine will be key to many other outcomes, Milley said, noting that it may also affect China's decision to take over Taiwan forcefully.

"I think that the Chinese are watching the war between Russia and Ukraine very carefully," Milley said.

During an interview with Spanish broadcaster Sexta, EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that the conflict in Ukraine could end immediately if the West and its allies decide to halt the provision of military support to Kiev. Doing so, however, would result in Ukraine's loss of sovereignty, he says.

"I know how to end the war immediately: I stop providing military assistance to Ukraine, and Ukraine has to surrender in a few days. That's it, the war is over," Borrell said, noting that the end result would lead into Ukraine becoming "a puppet country, like Belarus, deprived of its freedoms."

"That is why we must continue helping Ukraine," Borrell added.

As of February 2023, the EU and US have announced more than $120 billion in aid to Ukraine including state-of-the-art weapons and armory.

The US is currently preparing to announce another $1.2 billion military aid package to Ukraine, a week after the US' last announcement of a package of $300 million, which according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, included heavy artillery and ammunition, anti-tank weaponry, and other field equipment.

UK support to Ukraine has also included depleted Ukrainian ammunition, which was previously used by NATO members in Iraq and has horrific effects on health and ecology.

China previously laid out a 12-point plan to achieve peace in Ukraine, but has yet to be taken into prompt consideration by EU members who view the peace plan as biased towards Russia.