[TrumpCard]

Putin is not close to smelling defeat nor is he close to using nuclear weapons.  Ukraine admits it was on the verge of losing before the US came up with 10s of billions in aid.  If I were in charge, I would be using most available resources to build robust defenses on the current de facto border and to protect Ukrainian cities and troop positions from missile strikes.  As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, so I would invest in some attacks behind enemy lines too  But I don't think Ukraine has much shot at taking significant amounts of territory in the short term.  If retaking the territory that Russia seized is a prerequisite to Ukraine's survival, then Ukraine would need a lot of events to line up in its favor to survive.  I have no expertise in the matter, but I've remained hopeful that Ukraine can reach a stalemate and that a stalemate is good enough for Ukraine to survive as a nation.  Maybe Ukraine would need ongoing aid from Europe to remain a viable nation.  If so, I think Europe might see the value in that investment and pitch in to keep Ukraine afloat.  To me, that seems much more likely than Ukraine retaking vast swaths of territory.

[TrumpCard]

Putin is not close to smelling defeat nor is he close to using nuclear weapons.  Ukraine admits it was on the verge of losing before the US came up with 10s of billions in aid.  If I were in charge, I would be using most available resources to build robust defenses on the current de facto border and to protect Ukrainian cities and troop positions from missile strikes.  As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, so I would invest in some attacks behind enemy lines too  But I don't think Ukraine has much shot at taking significant amounts of territory in the short term.  If retaking the territory that Russia seized is a prerequisite to Ukraine's survival, then Ukraine would need a lot of events to line up in its favor to survive.  I have no expertise in the matter, but I've remained hopeful that Ukraine can reach a stalemate and that a stalemate is good enough for Ukraine to survive as a nation.  Maybe Ukraine would need ongoing aid from Europe to remain a viable nation.  If so, I think Europe might see the value in that investment and pitch in to keep Ukraine afloat.  To me, that seems much more likely than Ukraine retaking vast swaths of territory.