Directions: In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank.

The West’s strategy has been two-fold. It has sent money and weapons to Ukraine to help it ___(1)___ Russian aggression and slapped biting sanctions on Moscow to make the war economically painful. While arming Ukraine has ___(2)___ slowed down Russia’s advances (with heavy losses across the battlefronts), it has failed to stop the Russian war machine. Russia has taken most of the key cities in the east and south, including Mariupol, Berdyansk and Kherson, and Severodonetsk could be the next. The economic sanctions have had a mixed result. Sanctions have ___(3)___ Russia hard and its economy is expected to contract by 8.5% this year. But, at the same time, it has continued to reap a windfall from high oil and gas prices, while, on the other side, ___(4)___ inflation has hit the global economy. And Ukraine’s economy, needless to say, faces ___(5)___. As the ‘weapons and sanctions’ approach has been unsuccessful in its objectives, other options should also be explored to ___(6)___ the war. Between the maximalist positions taken by Russia and the U.S., France, Germany and Turkey have ___(7)___ some lines of communication with Moscow and Kyiv. These countries should push both sides for talks and try to ___(8)___ new proposals where all sides get something and lose something in return for peace. Ending the conflict is an ___(9)___ not just for Ukraine but also for the world that has been battered by high prices of everything, from food to fuel. Russia, whose invasion has pushed the world to the brink of a ___(10)___ security and economic crisis, has the primary responsibility to end this war through a political settlement.