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Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters

A flare-up in fighting in eastern Ukraine over the weekend has raised new uncertainty about how the White House's new occupants feel about the conflict, given President Donald Trump's desire for closer relations with Russia.

The town of Avdiivka, on the front lines in the stalemated conflict between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists, is due to be evacuated after clashes between the two sides on Sunday. The 8,000 people in the government-controlled city currently have no access to electricity or heat in the middle of the Ukrainian winter. Both sides claim multiple casualties.

The Obama administration loaded several rounds of economic sanctions onto Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine, starting in 2014, in an attempt to pressure the former superpower into renouncing its claim on Crimea and ending its support of the rebel forces in the country's east. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he'd be open to dropping the sanctions on Russia, though he has yet to clarify precisely what would trigger their being revoked. At one point, he implied that — rather than pulling out of Ukraine — he'd be willing to waive the sanctions in exchange for Russia taking action to reduce its nuclear arsenal.

The fact that the escalation came just one day after Trump's first conversation with President Vladimir Putin of his administration has led to speculation about whether the Saturday phone has led to speculation that the Russian leader felt emboldened to move forward in Ukraine afterwards. (Trump avoided criticizing Putin throughout the presidential campaign and the two have praised each other in the past.)

“Is it just a coincidence that Russian-backed separatists escalating attacks in Ukraine after Trump-Putin phone call?” Michael McFaul, a US ambassador to Russia under Obama, asked on Twitter.

A request for comment to the White House about the flare-up was directed to the State Department. The release issued from State, in turn, said that the US is “deeply concerned” about the renewed fighting.

“The fighting has caused dozens of Ukrainian military casualties and 10 civilian casualties,” the statement, issued under the name of acting spokesperson Mark Toner's name, read. “It has also left 17,000 civilians, including 2,500 children, without water, heat, or electricity. To avert a larger humanitarian crisis, we call for an immediate, sustained ceasefire and full and unfettered access for [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)] monitors. We also reaffirm U.S. support for full implementation of the Minsk agreements.”

Though the State Department didn't attribute just who started the renewed fighting to either side, the US delegation to the OSCE had no such qualms.

“Russia and the separatists initiated the violence in Avdiivka,” Charge D'Affairs Kate M. Byrnes, who is heading the mission while waiting on a replacement to be named, told the OSCE's permanent council on Tuesday. “We call on Russia to stop the violence, honor the ceasefire, withdraw heavy weapons, and end attempts to seize new territory beyond the line of contact.”

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to questions about whether it agreed with the OSCE delegation's assessment or if the president or vice-president had been briefed on the escalation.

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