Victory has always been on the table for Ukraine if they hadn’t been held back in using the weapons they were given.
But that’s my whole point. You imply that they shouldn’t have been held back, and I explain why the conditions were given. Whether or not that is good or not depends on the point of view. If you don’t want to be pulled into a war, you don’t give offensive weapons, if you don’t mind being pulled into a war, you do give offensive weapons. The plan could also have been to keep Ukraine in a stalemate so they can create their own industry. We don’t know that.
The only plan was to not interrupt the sale of Russian oil to the EU. Because despite repeated, and loud, warnings by everyone with a brain, the EU allowed themselves to become dependent on Russian oil. Meaning if they allowed Ukraine to actually crash the Russian economy 3 years ago, it would have caused serious hardship in the EU, and some strain on the US economy. Which would have been entirely workable, but politically toxic, and all the leaders involved were too weak to handle it.
But that’s my whole point. You imply that they shouldn’t have been held back, and I explain why the conditions were given. Whether or not that is good or not depends on the point of view. If you don’t want to be pulled into a war, you don’t give offensive weapons, if you don’t mind being pulled into a war, you do give offensive weapons. The plan could also have been to keep Ukraine in a stalemate so they can create their own industry. We don’t know that.
The only plan was to not interrupt the sale of Russian oil to the EU. Because despite repeated, and loud, warnings by everyone with a brain, the EU allowed themselves to become dependent on Russian oil. Meaning if they allowed Ukraine to actually crash the Russian economy 3 years ago, it would have caused serious hardship in the EU, and some strain on the US economy. Which would have been entirely workable, but politically toxic, and all the leaders involved were too weak to handle it.