As President Donald Trump sours on Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the Pentagon approves Ukrainian weapons requests and Congress moves toward a new sanctions bill.

Is there a direct link between what US President Donald Trump says and what Russian President Vladimir Putin does? Certainly, the harsh words and bitter violence of recent days in Ukraine suggest the answer is maybe.

The Russian leader is convinced that Moscow’s battlefield superiority is growing, and that Ukraine’s defenses may collapse in the coming months, according to people close to the Kremlin.