The U.S. does not believe that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has gained the upper hand in the war against Ukraine amid the capture of Avdiivka and the failure of Congress to pass a large-scale aid package for Ukraine. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Feb. 21 that one needs to look “at the shape of this conflict over the past not just two years.” “Yes, you have seen Russia make gains on the battlefield,” Miller said. “We saw gains just over this week – this last weekend because Ukraine was not able to properly resupply its troops, in large part b…