U.S. Defense Secretary Austin: Putin Has ‘Probably Given Up’ on Taking Kyiv
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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “probably given up” on capturing the Ukrainian capital city, Kyiv.
“Putin thought he could really rapidly take over the country of Ukraine, very rapidly take over the capital city; he was wrong,” Austin testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “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.”
Austin and General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Russia has shifted gears and is now focused on southeastern Ukraine.
Nearly a month ago, Austin told CNN host Don Lemon that the U.S. has “seen a number of missteps” by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
He said at the time that the Russians “have not progressed as far as quickly as they would have liked,” explaining that Russian forces have “struggled with logistics” and that he has not seen evidence of “good employment of tactical intelligence,” nor “integration of air capability with a ground maneuver.”
“I think [Russia] envisioned that they would move rapidly and very quickly seize the capital city. They’ve not been able to do that,” he told Lemon.
Meanwhile, Milley told a House committee earlier this week that he anticipates the war in Ukraine will last “at least years for sure,” in response to questioning by Representative Bill Keating (D., Mass.) about what he believes the timeline of the conflict may be.
“It’s a bit early, still,” Milley said. “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.”
Milley suggested earlier this year during closed hearings before Congress that Russia could take Kyiv within 72 hours of invading Ukraine, according to Fox News. Russia invaded Ukraine weeks later, on February 24.
