The New York Times reported that US military and intelligence officials believe the Russia-Ukraine conflict is "no longer a stalemate", given Russia's string of successes on the battlefield.
On November 1, the New York Times wrote that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "looked tired and stressed, worried about his military's battlefield failures and the U.S. election" when he met with U.S. officials in Kiev last week. The Ukrainian army is facing low morale, lack of reinforcements and is unable to defeat Russian forces.
The Times quoted a Ukrainian major stationed on the border near Russia's Kursk province as saying that the Ukrainian army "continually lost previously held positions", while Russian forces had an advantage in numbers and artillery.
However, according to the New York Times, US officials believe that Ukraine will have the opportunity to exploit "Russia's weakness" if aid from Washington "remains strong until next summer".
The Russian military has been making a series of gains in recent months, after capturing the heavily fortified mining town of Ugledar in Donbass early last month.
President Zelensky has appeared increasingly nervous throughout the conflict, admitting earlier this year that Kiev had effectively become a “hostage” to the highly unpredictable US presidential election. In July, Zelensky urged Kiev’s backers to redouble their efforts and help end the conflict “as soon as possible.”
Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are closely following the US presidential campaign, where Republican candidate Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, along with several prominent Republicans, have proposed conditions on aid to Ukraine or cutting it off altogether, the BBC reported.
"We should never again give money without hope of reward or without strings attached," Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social in February 2024.
In another development, General Aleksandr Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that the Ukrainian army is facing "one of the strongest attacks" by Russia since 2022.
Mr. Syrsky made the above remarks on November 2 after a meeting with a military delegation from the Czech Republic led by Chief of Staff Karel Rehka. He stressed that Ukrainian units "constantly need additional resources."
Kiev officials have long complained that delays in Western arms shipments, as well as restrictions on the use of some long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia, have contributed to recent losses in Donbass and elsewhere.
Ukraine’s offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in early August has failed to significantly slow Russian advances in other areas. Russian troops have steadily gained ground in recent months, capturing the fortified mining town of Ugledar in October. Russia has also launched an offensive to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast.
