It's been described as a frozen conflict but Ukraine's civil war has suddenly heated up. So why now? Some point to the flare-up following the first phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Is Moscow testing the West's resolve, or - as pro-Kremlin media suggest - did Kiev trigger the fighting to rally support in Washington?

Caption
This photograph shows a Dassault Rafale aircraft parked on the tarmac of the French Air and Space Force Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur Airbase in Saint-Sauveur, France, on March 18, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)