"It is now clear in which direction the war is going"

Senior officials in the Biden administration said that four to six weeks of fighting would determine the final direction of the war, writes the New York Times.
That time has passed, and officials say the picture is clearer: Russia will probably end up with more territory, but neither side will fully control the region because the exhausted Russian army is facing an opponent whose weapons are becoming more sophisticated.
Although Russia has occupied territories in the easternmost Lugansk region, its progress is slow. Meanwhile, the arrival of American long-range artillery and Ukrainians trained to use them should help them in future battles in Ukraine, said General Mark Milley, commander of the American Supreme Headquarters.
"If the units are used correctly, then they will have a very, very good performance on the battlefield," General Milley told reporters on his way home after visiting Europe. Pentagon officials said that means that Russia may not be able to achieve similar successes in neighboring Donetsk, which together with Lugansk makes the Donbas region rich in minerals and various ores.
Ukrainian forces in Donbas have been fighting separatists who have supported Russia since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea.
After weeks of bloody battles in the east - with as many as 200 Ukrainian soldiers killed daily, according to its own estimates, and with a similar or even higher number of Russian soldiers killed - Russia holds about the same amount of territory controlled by separatists in February before the operation.

The imminent fall of Lugansk? EPA/EFE/OLEKSANDR RATUSHNIAK

However, U.S. officials say they expect Russia to take over the entire Luhansk region soon. One defense official said he expected the twin cities...