Ukraine war: 100,000 Russian troops 'killed or injured'; Kherson pullout; and Putin's G20 snub

The highest-rank US military officer has suggested that “well over” 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war in Ukraine.

Army Gen. Mark Milley -- chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- said the same losses were "probably" equal on the Ukrainian side, while there were around 40,000 Ukrainian civilian casualties.

“There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering,” he said.

But Milley added that Russia's "withdrawal" from Kherson and a potential stalemate in fighting over the winter could provide an opportunity to negotiate peace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that he was open to talks with Moscow, but only if Russia returns all occupied land, provides compensation for war damage, and faces prosecution for war crimes.

Milley said on Wednesday that for negotiations to have a chance, both Russia and Ukraine would have to reach a “mutual recognition” that a military victory "is maybe not achievable through military means".

The US officer noted that an early refusal to negotiate in World War I compounded human suffering and led to millions more casualties.

"So when there's an opportunity to negotiate, when peace can be achieved ... seize the moment," Milley told the Economic Club of New York.

President Zelenskyy has warned that Russian forces are feigning a pullout from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the southern port city.

Kherson serves as a strategic gateway to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Its capture by Russia was seen as a huge success in the early days of the war.

Milley said Russia had amassed 20,000 to 30,000 troops in Kherson and a full retreat could take several weeks.

“The initial indicators are they are in fact doing it.