“Why not start talking about [peace talks] before you throw another 100,000 lives into the abyss?” the second U.S. official said.[0]

You can have of course have 100,000 KIA and be winning regardless, but, in that case, why would the US be pushing for negotiations now? You’d have to be very naive to think this is humanitarian concern. So maybe that picture painted for Western audiences is not accurate after all?

[0]: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/14/u-s-ukraine-milley-...