USA: According to Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia will cost its troops dearly and last for a few months.

It doesn't surprise me at all that Kiev's much-hyped counteroffensive is moving more slowly than anticipated, the top US military commander said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, DC, when asked about the Ukraine conflict.

"This will take six, eight, or ten weeks, as I had previously stated. It's going to be very challenging. He predicted that the conflict would be very drawn out and extremely bloody, noting that Russian minefields had slowed Kiev's advance.

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No one should harbour any delusions regarding any of that, he emphasised, noting that Ukraine is engaged in a fierce conflict for its very existence.

When asked if the US would give Ukraine cluster munitions, which are prohibited in more than 100 nations due to the serious risk they pose to civilians, Milley responded that Washington "has all kinds of options," adding that the final say in the matter belongs to US President Joe Biden.

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Early in June, Ukrainian forces launched an extensive offensive along several stretches of the front, but the Russian Defence Ministry reports that all of their assaults have been repulsed with significant casualties.

The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, estimated last week that more than 13,000 Ukrainian troops have been lost since the counteroffensive began. Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kiev suffered losses of 259 tanks and 780 armoured vehicles during the same time period.

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Officials from Ukraine have acknowledged that the counteroffensive has had problems. Due to "tough resistance" from Russian troops, according to President Vladimir Zelensky, it is progressing "slower than desired". Top Ukrainian general Valery Zaluzhny said he gets "pissed off" when people complain that the offensive is moving too slowly, adding that it is "not a show" and "every metre is given by blood."