China

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

China's top general, Zhang Youxia, met Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in Moscow for the countries' highest-level military talks in two years, with both sides pledging deeper cooperation, including on missile defense and reducing the risk of nuclear miscalculation, the South China Morning Post reported on Nov. 21.

China, Russia: Militaries Pledge Deeper Missile Defense and Strategic Cooperation

United States

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his Telegram channel on Nov. 20 that he is ready to work with the Trump administration on the 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine.

Ukraine: Zelensky Agrees To Negotiate on U.S.-Russia Peace Plan

At least 26 people, including three children, were killed and 22 remain missing after a Russian missile and drone strike destroyed apartment blocks in the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil overnight, Reuters reported on Nov. 20.

Ukraine, Russia: Ternopil Civilian Strike Marks Escalation of Russia's Winter Campaign

Ukraine's military says it used U.S.-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles to strike targets inside Russia, marking the first such use since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, Reuters reported Nov. 19.

Ukraine: U.S.-Made ATACMS Missiles Fired Into Russia for First Time Under Trump Administration

U.S. and Russian officials have drafted a 28‑point peace framework that would require Ukraine to cede more Donbas territory and accept force cuts, long‑range weapons limits and a rollback of U.S. military aid in exchange for U.S.-backed security guarantees, Axios reported Nov. 18.

U.S., Russia: Draft Peace Plan Pressures Kyiv To Cede Territory and Arms for Security Guarantees

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Economics

At a summit in Tashkent, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev formally proposed creating a new regional organization called the "Community of Central Asia," Reuters reported on Nov. 16. 

Central Asia, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan Joins Central Asian Push for Formal Bloc To Counter Russian Influence

India

Energy

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would support proposed Senate legislation that would grant him the authority to impose tariffs on countries conducting business with Russia, particularly energy importers like China and India, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 17. 

U.S., Russia: Trump Endorses Sanctions Bill Targeting Russia's Trading Partners

Ukraine launched overnight strikes using long-range "Long Neptune" cruise missiles, hitting Russia's Novorossiysk oil export hub, Reuters reported on Nov. 14.

Ukraine, Russia: Ukrainian Strikes Halt Novorossiysk Oil Exports, Heightening Risks for Russia and Kazakhstan

Assessments

Angola

South Africa

Japan

South Korea

United Kingdom

Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: A High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

Snapshots

Ukrainian artillerymen operate a U.S.-made M-114 howitzer near Pokrovsk, Ukraine, on Oct. 16, 2025.

Trump has given Ukraine until Nov. 27 to accept a plan that would freeze the war on terms favorable to Moscow, or face U.S. aid cuts. But Kyiv is unlikely to accede, instead relying on European support to continue fighting.

Ukraine Likely To Reject Trump's Peace Plan Ultimatum, Prolonging the War

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev address participants of the 21st Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum via a video link during their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Nov. 12, 2025. 

The deals signed during Kazakh President Tokayev's recent trip to Moscow will provide Astana with short-term stability but will limit its strategic autonomy and ability to further engage with the West, while heightening its exposure to Russian coercion.

What Russia's Courtship of Kazakhstan Says About the Shifting Balance of Power in Eurasia

Europe

A screen is seen during the International military anti drone exercise Baltic Trust 25 (BATT25) at the Selonia (Selija) military training ground near Viesite on Aug. 27, 2025.

The European Union is pushing to develop continent-wide anti-drone capabilities, but financial, political and legal fragmentation will significantly slow progress and leave the bloc's defense vulnerable.

Despite Political Enthusiasm, EU Drone Defenses Face Obstacles to Implementation

U.S. President Donald Trump (C), joined by lawmakers and members of his administration, delivers remarks during a dinner with leaders of Central Asian countries in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 6, 2025.

The recent C5+1 summit highlighted the U.S.'s desire to boost cooperation with Central Asian countries on trade and critical minerals, but the region's geography, governance and reliance on China and Russia will ultimately limit the impact of such efforts. 

The Promise and Limits of Increased U.S. Engagement in Central Asia

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Entrance signage is seen at OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on July 23, 2024.

Riyadh and its Gulf partners will likely prioritize OPEC+ unity and cooperation with Moscow on oil policy over boosting production to offset Russian supply losses from U.S. sanctions, even if it risks irking Washington.

Why Saudi Arabia Won't Backfill Russia's Sanctioned Oil Exports

Venezuela

Spain

Tanks on Sept. 23 in Caracas, Venezuela. The Trump administration has reportedly decided to attack military sites in Venezuela in strikes that could occur at any moment.

The Weekly Rundown: Potential U.S. Strikes in Venezuela, U.S. Outreach in Central Asia

A flag displaying the logo for Russia's Lukoil oil giant flies near a Russian flag in Moscow on Oct. 23, 2025.

The sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil aim to financially coerce Russia into negotiating a ceasefire in Ukraine, but patchy enforcement and continued Asian demand for Russian crude will limit the impact.

New U.S. Sanctions Strike at the Heart of Russia's War Economy

Columns

On Geopolitics

Germany

Slovakia

Hungary

European Council President Antonio Costa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a meeting of the European Council on Oct. 23. The EU pursuit of geopolitical independence is being severely tested by Russia's direct security aggression, China's control over critical raw materials and competing economic pressures from the United States.

The EU pursuit of geopolitical independence is being severely tested by Russia's direct security aggression, China's control over critical raw materials and competing economic pressures from the United States.

Europe's Dual Challenge From China and Russia

Iran

Syria

Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, hold a meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Oct.15, 2025. 

Syria's outreach to Russia could lead to diversified economic and security ties, help de-escalate tensions between Russia and Turkey, and eventually facilitate small steps toward Syria's rapprochement with Iran.

Syria-Russia Rapprochement Reinforces Damascus's Non-Confrontationalism

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) attends a lunch meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump suggest a significant U.S. pivot toward a negotiated settlement in Ukraine that prioritizes freezing the conflict and may involve territorial concessions favorable to Moscow.

Trump Signals Shift Toward Russian Position on Ukraine Ahead of Putin Meeting

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Australia

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Delegations from the United States and Russia, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, will meet this week to resume conversations about their countries' bilateral relationship and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Russian Delegations Meet, a Still-Fragile Hamas-Israel Ceasefire 

<p>Despite being the largest country in the world by area, the Russian Federation occupies territory that is indefensible and unforgiving. The core of Russia, running from the Volga grain belts up through Moscow proper to the Baltic Sea, lacks any natural features to fortify it from attack. This is why the country has traditionally anchored its territory to major geographic barriers far from its core in an attempt to keep foreign powers distant. As a result, Russia has inevitably had to reach east across the frozen tundra of Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, southeast to the Tien Shen mountains of Central Asia, south to the Caucasus Mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, and finally west to the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. But, there is one major hole in this geographic expanse: The Northern European plane. The Northern European plane is a gap between the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic sea which, at its narrowest, is 480 kilometers (300 miles) across. This narrow point, referred to as the Polish funnel, lies just West of Warsaw and reaches down Krakow in the south. Russia has faced three major attackers along this axis; Napoleon, Wilhelm II, and Hitler. Most recently, the expansion of NATO and the European Union into Central and Eastern Europe has raised Russian hackles. Moscow would much prefer to control the lands between Russia and the Polish funnel &mdash; pushing as far west as possible &mdash; knowing full well that once an attacker has passed that narrow chokepoint, it is an open march to Russia&#39;s heartland. For this reason, Moscow seeks to occupy or influence its borderlands, or at the very least, maintain their neutrality. Looking beyond its indefensible borders and largely hollow interior, Russia boasts a diverse population of 144,463,450 people and a powerful military. These armed forces, backed by an autocratic political system, help protect the country&#39;s unwieldy land mass. Russia&#39;s economy is inherently fragile and highly dependent on commodity exports ranging from grain to energy. The country is traditionally at its most powerful when a strong, heavy-handed leader is in charge, such as current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, though, the Kremlin must continually deal with internal political divisions, rising ethnic tensions and regional dissidence.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

China, Russia: Militaries Pledge Deeper Missile Defense and Strategic Cooperation

Ukraine: Zelensky Agrees To Negotiate on U.S.-Russia Peace Plan

Ukraine, Russia: Ternopil Civilian Strike Marks Escalation of Russia's Winter Campaign

Ukraine: U.S.-Made ATACMS Missiles Fired Into Russia for First Time Under Trump Administration

U.S., Russia: Draft Peace Plan Pressures Kyiv To Cede Territory and Arms for Security Guarantees

Central Asia, Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan Joins Central Asian Push for Formal Bloc To Counter Russian Influence

U.S., Russia: Trump Endorses Sanctions Bill Targeting Russia's Trading Partners

Ukraine, Russia: Ukrainian Strikes Halt Novorossiysk Oil Exports, Heightening Risks for Russia and Kazakhstan

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