PEACE TALK SPLIT: An internal administration split has emerged between the Pentagon and the rest of President JOE BIDEN’s team over the need for imminent Ukraine-Russia peace talks, The New York Times’ PETER BAKER reports. Gen. MARK MILLEY, the Joint Chiefs chair, “has made the case in internal meetings that the Ukrainians have achieved about as much as they could reasonably expect on the battlefield before winter sets in and so they should try to cement their gains at the bargaining table,” per Baker. Other senior Biden officials, while believing a negotiated peace will come in due time, say “the moment is not ripe and the United States should not be seen as pressuring the Ukrainians to hold back while they have momentum.” The story tracks with parts of what we reported in yesterday’s newsletter . In addition, BIDEN Thursday told reporters “I don’t think the conflict will be resolved with Russia and Ukraine until [Russian President VLADIMIR] PUTIN gets out of Ukraine,” which followed comments by national security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN that “it is ultimately up to Ukraine to make determinations about its diplomatic course.” And a senior administration official told NatSec Daily that Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN “is committed to the principle that the Ukrainians will have to determine what the diplomacy looks like.” But there are also members of the administration beyond those at the Pentagon who believe neither side can win militarily and that the winter provides an opportunity to reach a political settlement to end the war, according to a U.S. official. The official declined to give details on who else shares the view. As for the Pentagon, it is increasingly seeing both Russian and Ukrainian forces digging trenches on the front lines to cement their position for the winter, the official said. Defense officials believe there will be a “pause” in the fighting during the cold months, and that is a natural moment to begin talking about a potential political solution. “It’s very difficult to unseat a military that’s in a defense, as the Russians found out,” the official said. “It’s going to be very, very costly and difficult to kick the Russians out, costly in terms of resources and lives. Can it be done remains to be seen.” Just take Kherson. Yes, Russian forces retreated , but now Ukraine is going to have to fight across the river and try to retake terrain on the other side — an extremely difficult military maneuver, the official said. The person was granted anonymity to discuss internal assessments. Milley was not, however, trying to say that Ukraine should capitulate or cede any part of its sovereign territory to Russia, the person said. “Why not start talking about [peace talks] before you throw another 100,000 lives into the abyss?” the person added. ON KHERSON: Russian troops left the western bank of the Dnipro River around 5 a.m., the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to the AP’s HANNA ARHIROVA and JOHN LEICESTER. That includes Kherson, which is the only provincial capital captured by Moscow during its invasion. Despite the retreat, however, Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV said the region’s status is “fixed” — still considered part of Russia. In the city, Ukrainian troops were greeted by jubilant crowds carrying yellow and blue flags, chanting victoriously. In one video, a Ukrainian soldier is seen being lifted in the air by two people as their country’s flag flies over a monument in a central Kherson square. Still, Ukraine hasn’t declared the city free from Russia yet. The city’s military intelligence agency said “an operation to liberate Kherson,” and the region is underway. WANING SANCTION SUPPORT: U.S. officials based in Europe are issuing internal warnings to Washington colleagues that some countries with populations that support Russia are growing angry over sanctions and blame the U.S. for rising costs, our own ERIN BANCO and PAUL MCLEARY reported Thursday. Such pressure on European leaders could lead to a decline in support for sanctions against Moscow, officials warned in internal reports circulated throughout the administration in recent days and viewed by POLITICO. Washington has buzzed with talks among top officials on how to keep leaders overseas on board with the U.S. strategy, two senior U.S. officials said. DRINKS WITH NATSEC DAILY: At the end of every long, hard week, we like to highlight how a prominent member of the global national security and foreign policy scene prefers to unwind with a drink. Today, we’re featuring RICHARD HAASS, the outgoing President and CEO of the Council on Foreign Relations . He told us that in the winter his drink of choice is scotch — preferably Oban — or an Irish whiskey like Redbreast 12. These are always on the rocks. But in the summer, Haass switches to martinis. “Always gin, never vodka,” he said, favoring Tanqueray 10 or Plymouth. “Prefer on the rocks but fine, straight up.” And where is the CFR boss imbibing these fine nectars? “Best at home as gin kept in the freezer,” he said. “Don’t have a regular bar given my schedule.” Cheers, Haass the Boss! (That’s what lowly CFR intern Alex called him back in the day.) Read: Haass breaks down the foreign policy implications of the midterms . THANK YOU: It’s Veterans Day, where we celebrate and thank the 19 million American veterans among us. From CFR’s JAMES LINDSAY : “Just 1 percent of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive today. There are about 1 million Korean War veterans still alive today, 31,000 of which are women. Roughly 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam between 1964 and 1975, of whom roughly 850,000 are still alive.” IT’S FRIDAY, WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND: Thanks for tuning in to NatSec Daily. This space is reserved for the top U.S. and foreign officials, the lawmakers, the lobbyists, the experts and the people like you who care about how the natsec sausage gets made. Aim your tips and comments at award@politico.com and mberg@politico.com , and follow us on Twitter at @alexbward and @mattberg33 . 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