All of that enthusiasm and optimism from the early days of Russia's war in Ukraine, when Ukrainians were able to beat back the Russian offensive on Kyiv, has turned to pessimism in recent weeks. That's because Russia's brutal, grinding campaign in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine is paying dividends. Out-gunned and out-manned, the Ukrainian military continues to take horrible losses in the East; and the Russians continue to advance in their land grab. Russian forces now control most of the Donbas region. And Vladimir Putin now has his land bridge to Russian-occupied Crimea. Today the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania met with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy today in Kyiv. They're pledging support but there's concern that support could be cracking. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices