Ukraine's hope of defeating Russia is fading. U.S.
officials and their Western counterparts are anticipating a lean year in which increasingly depleted Ukrainian forces will focus more on consolidating their defenses. The Kremlin controls about a fifth of internationally recognized Ukrainian territory. Analysts believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is awaiting a possible return of former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee for November's election. Trump could scale back his support for Ukraine and take a kinder view of the Kremlin's security concerns in Eastern Europe.