Putin Has an Ominous Spring Strategy for Ukraine War: Four-Star General

Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to launch a renewed offensive against Ukraine in the spring and is attempting to pressure top ally Belarus into joining the war, retired four-star U.S. Army General Barry McCaffrey warned.

During an appearance on MSNBC Thursday, McCaffrey stressed that Ukraine can't win the war while it is on the defensive. He said that Ukraine is in a situation where it has put Russia's army in check, "not checkmate."

Meanwhile, Russia is slowly destroying Ukraine from the air as it conducts waves of missile strikes against the war-torn country.

Ukraine must be provided with a tool that allows the country to break out of this situation, such as long-distance surface-to-surface missiles and M1 tanks, McCaffrey said. He asserted that the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems the U.S. is now sending are not enough, and that Ukraine is still in great danger and the game needs to change on the ground.

In another MSNBC appearance on Friday, McCaffrey said that some of the fighting in eastern Ukraine had descended into trench warfare and artillery bombardment, with both sides seeing "huge casualties." Russia and Ukraine are currently at a "dangerous" stalemate, McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey's warning about what Russia may attempt in the spring and his believed pressure for direct involvement from Belarus came after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began testing the combat readiness of his country's troops this month. This is only one prong of recently intensified activities centered on Russia and its top ally.

The Interfax news agency, citing Russia's Defense Ministry, reported Monday that Russian troops will conduct military exercises in Belarus. Putin also traveled to Belarus to meet with Lukashenko earlier this week, during which the two leaders reportedly spoke about forming a "single defense space" in the region, according to the Associated Press.

While refraining from direct involvement so far in the war in Ukraine, Belarus has aided Russia's aggression by allowing Putin to stage troops within and launch attacks from its territory. Experts have cast doubt on whether Lukashenko will ultimately bend to Putin's purported pressure, though they haven't entirely ruled out the possibility.

Michael Kimmage, professor and chair of the Catholic University of America's history department, told Newsweek on Tuesday that while there have been surprises in the war, he believes the probability of a significant invasion from Belarus is "extremely low."

McCaffrey also noted while speaking to MSNBC on Thursday that he doesn't believe that Belarus will "buy into" Putin's pressure to get involved in the war.

Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin for comment.