Top US General: Over 100,000 Russian Troops Killed, Wounded in Ukraine

US General Mark Milley. EPA
US General Mark Milley. EPA
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Top US General: Over 100,000 Russian Troops Killed, Wounded in Ukraine

US General Mark Milley. EPA
US General Mark Milley. EPA

More than 100,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded in Ukraine, with Kyiv's forces likely suffering similar casualties, top US General Mark Milley said Wednesday.

"You're looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded," Milley said in remarks at the Economic Club of New York. "Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side."

The figures provided by Milley -- which could not be independently confirmed -- are the most precise to date from the United States government more than eight months into the war.

Milley also said there is a chance for talks on ending the war, and that military victory may not be possible for either Russia or Ukraine.

"There has to be a mutual recognition that military victory is probably in the true sense of the word maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means," Milley said.

"There's... an opportunity here, a window of opportunity for negotiation,” AFP quoted him as saying.

Milley's comments came after Russia ordered its troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine -- a major blow to Moscow's military campaign.

But officials in Kyiv reacted with caution, saying the Russian army was unlikely to leave the strategic city without a fight, while US President Joe Biden suggested the retreat was evidence Moscow has "real problems" on the battlefield.



Denmark Says It Will Summon a US Diplomat Over Report on Increased US Intel Gathering in Greenland 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
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Denmark Says It Will Summon a US Diplomat Over Report on Increased US Intel Gathering in Greenland 

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen listens to speakers during a meeting after a ceremony to mark the 25th Anniversary Nordic Embassies in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP)

Denmark says it will summon the top US diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report about the United States stepping up intelligence gathering on Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by President Donald Trump.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR outside a meeting Wednesday with colleagues in Poland that Denmark would summon the US chargé d’affaires to seek a “rebuttal” or other explanation following the report.

The Journal, citing two people familiar with the US effort that it did not identify, reported that several high-ranking officials under the US director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and sentiment about US resource extraction there.

The US Embassy did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press on Thursday seeking comment on whether the US diplomat in Copenhagen, Jennifer Hall Godfrey, had received a summons. The Danish Foreign Ministry, in an email, did not comment beyond referring to Rasmussen’s remarks.

Rasmussen, who has previously scolded the Trump administration over its criticism of NATO ally Denmark and Greenland, said the information in the report was “very worrying” and “we don’t spy between friends.”

“We are looking at this with quite a lot of seriousness,” he added.

Greenland's prime minister said last month that US statements about the mineral-rich Arctic island have been disrespectful and it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

In a visit to the island last month, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said, addressing the United States during a visit to Greenland that “you cannot annex another country,” even with the argument made by US officials that international security is at stake.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington will respect Greenland’s self-determination and alleged that Greenlanders “don’t want to be a part of Denmark.”