But just what a win would look has been unclear. Now, President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown us what that would look like, telling CNN in an interview that there will be no win in Ukraine unless Crimea is part of the nation.
"We cannot imagine Ukraine without Crimea," Zelensky said. "And while Crimea is under the Russian occupation, it means only one thing: War is not over yet."
When asked if there could be any scenario in which Ukraine could win without Crimea being fully integrated, Zelensky said no.
"It will not be victory then," he said.
Zelensky spoke about the relationship between the US CIA and Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been underwhelming compared to expectations. Zelensky didn't want to talk about it, saying that the entire conversation, or even the existence of the conversation, should be kept under wraps.
"To be honest with you, I was surprised to see the information in some media but both in the US and Ukrainian and European media. My communication with the CIA chief should always be behind the scenes and the media attention, because we discuss important things, what Ukraine needs and how Ukraine is prepared to act," he said.
"We don't have any secrets from CIA because we have good relations and our intelligence services talk with each other. I don't know what were other contacts. I don't really remember which media I read it in. The situation is pretty straightforward. We have good relations with the CIA chief, and we are talking. I told him about all the important things related to the battlefield, which we need."
The full interview will air on CNN on Wednesday.
