Some Pentagon officials believe Russia is testing President Donald Trump with aggressive moves across the globe. Moscow recently deployed a banned land-based cruise missile, dispatched a spy ship up the Atlantic coast and buzzed an American warship in the Black Sea. “They were likely intended to test the new administration,” one defense official told CNN.

“The Russians are doing different things to see how the new administration will respond,” a second defense official added. The developments raise the question of how the new White House occupant will address Russian assertiveness and whether, after complimenting Russian President Vladimir Putin and playing down Russia’s adversarial relationship with the US, Trump will resort to any confrontational responses. READ MORE


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