According to the senior-most US general, Mark Milley, the Russia-Ukraine war has claimed the lives of or injured 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman also said that 40,000 or so civilians perished as a result of being involved in the fight, the BBC reports.
The estimations are the highest a Western official has yet provided.
He, however, said that indications that Kyiv was prepared to resume discussions with Moscow provided “an opening” for dialogue.
Read more: Russia to withdraw from key city of Kherson
Ukraine has recently indicated a willingness to engage in some dialogue with Moscow after withdrew a demand that negotiations stop until Vladimir Putin was ousted from office.
Gen Milley said that in order for any negotiations to be fruitful, Russia and Ukraine would need to “mutually recognise” that a triumph “is maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means”.
The US general, who serves as President Joe Biden’s top military advisor, claimed that the number of casualties could persuade Moscow and Kyiv to discuss during the coming winter, when fighting may slack off due to the cold.
The BBC report quoted Gen Milley as saying “You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded,” adding, “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”
Read more: Kyiv prepares for worst winter with no heat, water or power
Both Russia and Ukraine closely guard the number of casualties.
Only 5,937 soldiers had died in total since the conflict began, according to Moscow’s most recent report, which was released in September. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu dismissed allegations of a substantially higher death toll.
There has been a great deal of human suffering, according to Gen Milley. He added that since Russia’s incursion began on February 24, there have been between 15 and 30 million new refugees.
Over 7 million refugees from Ukraine have been registered by the UN in countries all around Europe, including Russia. The number excludes those who were compelled to leave their homes but are still in Ukraine, nevertheless.
Read more: Russia rejoins key deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports
Moscow declared on Wednesday (November 09, 2022) that its troops would begin to leave Kherson, a crucial city in the south and the only sizable city to be taken by Russian forces.
While “early evidence” showed that a retreat had started, Gen Milley noted that Russia had gathered between 20 and 30,000 troops in the city and that the withdrawal may take several weeks.