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US may reconsider policy of letting Kiev define terms of victory in conflict with Moscow

According to The Messenger, "American participants in the meeting went so far as to suggest that given the limited gains, a longstanding US policy of letting Ukraine define the terms of victory in the war be reconsidered"

NEW YORK, December 9. /TASS/. The United States may reconsider its policy of letting Ukraine define the terms of victory in its conflict with Russia, the US news website The Messenger reports.

According to the media outlet, US and Ukrainian officials held a series of meetings in November and December, where it was agreed that the key objectives of Ukraine’s counteroffensive had not been met and "there was little chance that they would be, particularly if American aid was suspended."

According to The Messenger, "American participants in the meeting went so far as to suggest that given the limited gains, a longstanding US policy of letting Ukraine define the terms of victory in the war be reconsidered." However, a US official told the media outlet that that US policy "will continue to be that it is up to Ukraine to define victory and that it should remain up to Ukraine to decide how this war ends."

In addition, the meetings addressed "the fraying relationship" between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and "several Ukrainian generals, including his top military commander General Valery Zaluzhny, and how these tensions may be impacting" the course of the conflict.

The Ukrainian army has been conducting unsuccessful offensive attempts since early June. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Kiev lost more than 125,000 troops and over 16,000 pieces of equipment in six months. Russia has repeatedly emphasized that the offensive has failed, as Ukraine achieved no significant results. In recent weeks, the West and Kiev have repeatedly said that the "counteroffensive" was not successful enough and the situation on the frontline was a stalemate for Ukraine.