Residents from the front-line town of Avdiivka, Ukraine, line up to receive free bread at a humanitarian aid distribution point. The conflict with Russia-backed rebels has intensified dramatically over the past several days, with Putin now accusing Ukraine of escalating the conflict on purpose to garner U.S. support. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of starting the escalation to rally support from the new U.S. administration and other Western powers. Ukraine is concerned that President Donald Trump could roll back some sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions in Ukraine, and that European Union members could follow suit. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley condemned Russia’s “aggressive actions” in eastern Ukraine and warned Moscow that U.S. sanctions imposed after its annexation of Crimea will remain until the peninsula is returned to Ukraine.

Source: thestar February 02, 2017 21:30 UTC