@johnldeboer: It kinda looks that is the way things are going, yes, even with lately great work by UKR forces and the Soviet's general staff ineptitude. Europe's trying to help, but without a substantial uptick from them it looks bad. If the Soviets do manage to claw back and force a "diplomatic solution", the reputation of the US will be mud. We will have been totally shown to be unreliable, corrupted from within by the enemies of freedom and democracy.