US official says Russia will likely control region in eastern Ukraine within weeks as the country pleads for more weapons from the West

As Ukrainian officials plead with the West to send more weapons, an area of easternUkraine could soon be under Russian control.

A senior US official told The Washington Post that the Luhansk Oblast would likely be taken over by the Russians in a matter of weeks. The official said that two cities could fall to the Russians in a week.

Russia refocused its military efforts in the east of the country after it failed to take the capital city of Kyiv. Luhansk and Donetsk are two of the areas where the Ukrainian government has been fighting Kremlin-backed rebels.

Despite Ukrainian officials saying earlier this month that their forces had regained some of the city, Russian control of the city is mostly unchanged.

The governor of the Luhansk region predicted on Saturday that Russia would capture the city within a few days.

Ukrainian officials say they need more weapons to fight Russia. According to Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Russia's weaponry is superior to that of Ukraine.

There is one Ukrainian piece to 10 to 15 Russians. The western partners have given us 10% of what they have. The success of holding off Russian forces depends on whether or not it gets more weapons from Western countries.

Last week, the UK said it would send "cutting edge" guided rocket systems to help defend against Russia's long range weaponry.

Two weeks ago, President Joe Biden said that the US would be sending more advanced rocket systems to Ukraine, but that they were not intended to be used outside the country's borders.