Washington may be pleasantly encouraged the Ukrainian army is holding firm and at least giving the Russians a run for their money. It’s inspiring to watch Ukrainian troops and ordinary civilians, young and old, fight for their country. But the realist in me says the outcome of this conflict, militarily speaking, isn’t in doubt. Russian forces have advanced into Ukraine from three different directions — from the south, east, and north — to spread out Ukrainian defenders. Ukraine has lost possession of military airfields, one of which is 20 miles from Kyiv. The U.S. intelligence assessment remains that the capital city will be taken within one to four days of a Russian offensive.

Zelensky seems to understand the gravity of the situation. He knows his army can’t hold out for long, which is why he is making multiple appeals for Russia to sit down at the negotiating table. Zelensky reached out to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, asking him to mediate a possible dialogue with Moscow. His previous entreaties to Putin were greeted in Moscow with a mix of intrigue and name-calling, with the Russian leader referring to the Ukrainian leadership as usurpers, aggressors, and right-wing lunatics. Putin doesn’t sound like a man eager to offer concessions in any way, shape, or form. Indeed, at this point, Putin may not be content with anything less than the full decapitation of Zelensky’s administration.

There is no way to put it nicely: Ukraine is in an awful position. If it continues to fight, more Ukrainians will perish. But if it surrenders to Russia’s terms, it will essentially be caving to the very leader, Putin, who ordered an attack against it. Such is the brutal nature of a war Zelensky finds himself in.