Ukraine is “highly unlikely” to make a serious breakthrough in its counter offensive, senior US and Western officers have warned.

Though Ukrainian forces liberated a spate of villages firstly of their operation in June, progress has slowed of their march down the centre of the entrance line in the direction of the Sea of Azov.

Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who has not too long ago met with US commanders coaching Ukrainian forces in Europe, described a current briefing on the state of the counter offensive as “sobering”.

On Sunday (August 6), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky additionally acknowledged its assault had not proceeded as swiftly as his workforce had hoped.

But Ukraine is but to commit its Western-trained heavy brigades to the assault towards Russia and has retained appreciable personnel regardless of the current, albeit sluggish, marches towards the Russian forces.

Speaking after getting back from Europe, Mr Quigley mentioned: “Our briefings are sobering. We’re reminded of the challenges they face.

“This is the most difficult time of the war. They’re still going to see, for the next couple of weeks, if there is a chance of making some progress.”

Another senior western diplomat advised CNN they believed it was “highly unlikely” Ukraine would make sufficient progress to “change the balance of this conflict”.

“Russians have a number of defensive lines and they [Ukrainian forces] haven’t really gone through the first line,” one other senior Western diplomat advised the US outlet.

“Even if they would keep on fighting for the next several weeks, if they haven’t been able to make more breakthroughs throughout these last seven, eight weeks, what is the likelihood that they will suddenly, with more depleted forces, make them? Because the conditions are so hard.”

On Tuesday (August 8), the Ukrainian General Staff reported that its forces performed offensive operations within the Berdyansk and Melitopol instructions, in the direction of the centre of the entrance line.

Ukrainian deputy defence Minister Hanna Malyar additionally reported that combating is ongoing south of Bakhmut, the place there was intense combating not too long ago.

Mr Zelensky, in the meantime, said Ukrainian forces are within the offensive part of operations and proceed to carry the initiative, regardless of progress being sluggish.

Express.co.uk spoke with Ukrainian troopers, army medics and a former US intelligence director final week in regards to the state of the counter offensive.

Serhiy Zhuykov, a bit chief of the Separate Rifles battalion, who beforehand fought close to Bakhmut, admitted that his males have been “very tired” however that they remained optimistic in regards to the coming weeks.

Steven Horrell, a former US intelligence director in Europe, advised a principal axis of the counterattack was rising in western Zaporizhzhia, south of the town of Orikhiv, alongside a backbone in the direction of Melitopol, close to the Sea of Azov.

He advised Western “expectations had been set too high” from the outset and that Ukraine’s “slow and steady” advance was not proof of a failing operation.