The US has spoken out about its expectation of a new Putin offensive

White House spokesman John Kirby said this on CNN.

According to Kirby, the coming weeks will be critical in Russia's war against Ukraine. And Washington expects Russian offensive attempts on many other fronts.

On that basis, Kirby said Ukraine needs to be prepared to defend itself against Russian attacks and be able to conduct its own offensives.

We are now withdrawing battalions from Ukraine and conducting manoeuvres for them. That's why they are stepping up their Patriot training. We are doing everything we can to make sure they are as ready as they can be before the critical weeks and months ahead.

It is worth recalling that Army Commander Oleksandr Syrskyy recently said that the battle for Bakhmut gives time to prepare the army's reserves.