'Horrific' destruction, casualties if Russia invades Ukraine -U.S.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and General Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, faces reporters asking questions about Russia and the crisis in the Ukraine during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 28, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Russia unleashes the forces it has amassed near Ukraine's border to invade its neighbor, the outcome would be "horrific" and result in significant casualties, the top U.S. military officer said on Friday, comparing this moment to the Cold War.

Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made the comments amid fragile Russia-U.S. diplomacy in a broader East-West standoff over Ukraine. Moscow has demanded NATO pull back troops and weapons from Eastern Europe and bar Ukraine from ever joining the military alliance.