After a week of relative calm and domestic preoccupations, actors from Russia to Iran are testing the new US president's mettle. Since Trump spoke to President Vladimir Putin for an hour on Saturday, there has been a significant increase in violence around the Ukrainian industrial hub of Avdiivka. There is growing concern among European diplomats that Trump, at best, is showing neglect. "Transatlantic unity has been decisive in pushing back against Russian aggression against Ukraine in the last years," said Ulrich Speck, a foreign policy analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute. A call for sanctions would also test Trump's burgeoning relationship with Putin, who would likely veto any resolutions.

Source: Daily Nation February 02, 2017 10:08 UTC