In an article by POLITICO, the US is talking about a shift in its strategy regarding the war in Ukraine, with the plan focusing more on the further strengthening of Ukraine in order to come to the negotiation table with Russia in the future.

With US and European aid to Ukraine being in grave danger, the Biden administration and European officials are quietly shifting their position now from supporting Ukraine’s goal of total victory over Russia; in improving its position in an eventual negotiation to end the warreports Politico in its article.

According to the same article citing US officials in Washington, such a negotiation would likely mean ceding parts of Ukraine to Russia.

The White House and the Pentagon publicly insist that there is no official change in their policy and that they still support Ukraine’s goal of liberating its territories. However, Ukrainian, American and European officials are now discussing it redeploying Kiev’s forces away from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s largely failed counteroffensive to a stronger defensive position against Russian forces in the east.

This effort also included the strengthening of air defense systems and the construction of fortifications, the creation of anti-tank obstacles and trenches along the northern border of Ukraine with Belarus. Furthermore, the Biden administration is focused on rapidly rebuilding Ukraine’s own defense industry to secure the necessary armaments which the US Congress is at present unable to secure.

The POLITICO states that mmuch of this strategic shift to defense is aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s position in any future negotiation. “This has been our theory on the Ukrainian issue all along, the only way this war will finally end is through negotiations”a White House official said.

“We want Ukraine to be strong when that time comes.” He stressed, however, that no talks were planned yet and that Ukrainian forces were still fighting back. We want them to be in a stronger position to hold their territory. It is not that we are discouraging them from launching any new attack.”

For Biden, managing the nearly two-year-long war amid a bitter election campaign — with former President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates openly mocking his efforts — will prove difficult at best. As it helps Ukraine shift to a more defensive posture, The Biden administration does not appear to be giving the upper hand to Putin after insisting since the start of the war in February 2022 that it fully supports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s promise of victory over Moscow