Ukraine battles sky-high expectations ahead of counteroffensive

Edward Arnold, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said Ukraine is “racing against time” because the longer Russian forces remain in eastern territory, the more likely the war becomes static and occupation becomes a fait accompli. “They don’t need to do everything, but they need to do enough for that support to continue for at least another year,” Arnold said. “They need to deliver a pretty significant play to Russian forces this year, and then it will be on Western backers to decide whether that is enough.”