Ukraine making 'steady progress' in counteroffensive, top US general says

It's too soon to make "definitive assessments" about the Ukrainian counteroffensive officially underway for more than a week, Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday, but he also said Ukraine "is making steady progress."

While Ukraine has sustained some battlefield losses of armored vehicles, including Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, appearing at a news conference in Brussels with Milley, said Russia is overplaying those losses and that Ukraine continues to have "a lot of combat capability -- combat power."

Referring to Russian social media posts purportedly showing damaged Ukrainian vehicles, Austin said, "I think the Russians have shown us that same five vehicles about 1000 times from 10 different angles," speaking at the conclusion of the monthly meeting of the more than 50 countries providing military assistance to Ukraine.

"This is war. So, we know that there will be battle damage on both sides," said Austin. "What's important is that the Ukrainians have the ability to recover equipment that's been damaged, repair where possible, get that equipment back into the fight."