The same Ukrainian commander told the outlet, "This strategy is clever: You try to concentrate the strength of your enemy in one direction and then distract them at another." He added of Russian forces, "Their first objective is to destroy us" and "the second is to push us so that they can get more leverage for peace talks and get more from us. They are almost at the point of capturing the Donetsk region." WaPo admits that this soon may see the Zelensky forced to negotiate or else quickly lose more territory as the Russians eye capturing the key transit point of the city of Pokrovsk. The publication also underscores a somewhat distracted Washington, referencing "a shortage of soldiers and as election turmoil in the United States."