Russian President Vladimir Putin has “probably given up” on taking the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated Thursday.
Austin made the statement during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Both he and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that Russia has now shifted its focus to taking southeastern Ukraine.
“Putin thought he could really rapidly take over the country of Ukraine, very rapidly take over the capital city; he was wrong,” Austin testified. “I think Putin has probably given up on his effort to capture the capital city and is now focused on the south and east of the country.”
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Austin’s statement came one day after Milley testified before a House committee that the Ukraine war was going to last “at least years for sure.” Milley had previously predicted in early February that Kyiv could fall within 72 hours of a Russian invasion.
Milley delivered the dire prediction for Ukraine to Congress during closed hearings on Feb. 2 and 3, saying Ukraine would likely lose 15,000 troops compared to Russia’s 4,000.
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Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., pressed Milley on Tuesday regarding what he now thought the timeline of the conflict would be.
“It’s a bit early, still,” Milley responded. “Even though we’re a month-plus into the war, there is much of the ground war left in Ukraine. But I do think this is a very protracted conflict, and I think it’s at least measured in years. I don’t know about a decade, but at least years for sure.”
While the U.S. and NATO have stated that their troops will not deploy to defend Ukraine, President Joe Biden joked about the possibility of an expanded conflict with Russia on Wednesday.
“This fight is far from over,” Biden said in a speech to U.S. union workers. “Here’s the point: This war could continue for a long time, but the United States will continue to stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”
“And by the way, if I gotta go to war I’m going with you guys. I mean it,” he added.
The U.S. military has limited its deployments to nearby NATO countries, and the president has vowed to defend “every inch” of NATO territory.
