The New York Times reported on Friday that US officials "fear" Ukraine has become "casualty averse" as Ukrainian commanders have not been pushing as hard against Russia's defenses as the US would like due to a high cost in Ukrainian lives.

The report reads: "American officials say they fear that Ukraine has become casualty averse, one reason it has been cautious about pressing ahead with the counteroffensive. Almost any big push against dug-in Russian defenders protected by minefields would result in huge numbers of losses."

In recent weeks, there have been multiple reports exposing the lack of concern on the US and NATO side for Ukrainian lives. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that US and British war games ahead of Ukraine's counteroffensive anticipated high casualties but "envisioned Kyiv accepting the casualties as the cost of piercing through Russia's main defensive line."