Hes going to have to severely escalate or pretty much surrender. I expect the Russians will soon do some sort of mass mobilization with wide spread conscription.
And there lies the trap for the West. Our support of the Ukraine has allowed them to stymie Russian attempts at conventional warfare. That pushes Putin into a corner of admitting defeat or ramping up to total war like thermobaric bombs on civilian populations. Should Putin ramp up what does NATO do, accept the devastation or put boots on the ground? Keep in mind the Russians are struggling because their military is weaker than they thought largely due to corruption. We have not mobilized for a war in 20 years and now are led by generals who care more about pronouns and COVID vaccines than combat readiness.
I don’t think we lose, but I think our losses would be greater than most imagine.