Zelensky, Pentagon Acknowledge Counteroffensive Had To Be "Paused" Amid Losses

he New York Times in a weekend story admitted that things are looking grim for the chances of Ukraine's counteroffensive, acknowledging that President Zelensky had been forced to put it on "pause" at one point.

The story, headlined "After Suffering Heavy Losses, Ukrainians Paused To Rethink Strategy" still sought to put a positive spin on the dire situation for Kiev:

Some of the improvement came because Ukraine changed tactics, focusing more on wearing down the Russian forces with artillery and long-range missiles than charging into enemy minefields and fire.

But that good news obscures some grim realities. The losses have also slowed because the counteroffensive itself has slowed — and even halted in places — as Ukrainian soldiers struggle against Russia’s formidable defenses. And despite the losses, the Ukrainians have so far taken just five of the 60 miles they hope to cover to reach the sea in the south and split the Russian forces in two.

This after admitting that only within the first couple weeks of the counteroffensive Ukraine forces lost some 20% of the weaponry newly supplied by the West, including tanks and armored vehicles. The much-vaunted offensive had kicked off in May, but hasn't translated to any major gains.