A week of diplomacy by U.S. President Joe Biden failed to defuse tensions between Russia and Ukraine, but has maintained unity with European allies against Moscow as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to expose cracks, foreign policy analysts say.
After former U.S. President Donald Trump openly disparaged NATO and left Europe questioning Washington's commitment to the alliance, some analysts said Putin appeared to be testing Biden's declaration that "America is back" on the world stage.
Biden took office in January 2021 calling for "predictable" ties with Russia and playing down Moscow's global influence. Putin would not let himself "be deprioritized" by Washington, said Schwartz, adding that the Russian leader was attempting to demonstrate that "the American-led international order is really quite fragile now. It's a testing moment."
While in office Trump threatened to withdraw from NATO and accused Europeans of contributing too little to their defense. U.S. officials have spent weeks trying to ensure Europe would match Washington's planned sanctions response, but no clear agreement has been reached on what specific sanctions will be leveled.
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