Ukraine

Russia

Energy

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russia's pipeline monopoly Transneft warned producers it may restrict crude intake after repeated Ukrainian drone attacks damaged refineries and export terminals, Reuters reported on Sept. 16. 

Russia, Ukraine: Ukraine Expands Drone Strikes on Russian Energy Infrastructure

United States

China

Europe

India

Economics

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders during a conference call on Sept. 9 that he would be willing to add new tariffs on India and China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine, but only if the Europeans also applied such tariffs, according to Bloomberg.

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

Speaking at the Vladivostok Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that ''any troops'' deployed to Ukraine would be considered ''legitimate targets for destruction,'' Reuters reported Sept. 5. 

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Declares Foreign Troops in Ukraine 'Legitimate Targets,' Dismisses Current Peace Efforts

Canada

Australia

Some 30 leaders and senior officials from Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada met in Paris to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 4.

Europe, Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine's Western Backers Discuss Security Guarantees for Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined three pillars for Ukraine's security guarantees: sustained army funding and arms supplies, pledges to support Ukraine's accession to NATO, and continued sanctions and use of frozen Russian assets, Reuters reported on Aug. 29. 

Russia, Ukraine: Zelensky Lays Out Framework for Security Guarantees Following Russian Strike

Ukraine launched mass drone strikes, hitting a transformer at Russia's Kursk nuclear plant, cutting output at one reactor, and sparking a massive fire at Novatek's Ust-Luga fuel export terminal on the Baltic Sea, Reuters reported on Aug. 24.

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Strikes Hit Russian Nuclear Plant as Moscow Hardens Peace Terms

Denmark

Denmark will host EU defense ministers on Aug. 28-29 and EU foreign affairs ministers on Aug. 29-30 in Copenhagen, according to the Danish government, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.

Denmark, Ukraine: Copenhagen To Host Four Days of Ukraine-Related Meetings

Slovakia

Hungary

The governments of Hungary and Slovakia sent a letter to the European Commission saying that Ukraine's recent attacks against the Druzhba oil pipeline "severely threaten the energy security" of both countries and are "totally unacceptable," Reuters reported on Aug. 22.

Hungary, Slovakia: Ukraine’s Attacks on Druzhba Oil Pipeline Labeled 'Totally Unacceptable'

Snapshots

Poland

Russia's drone incursion into Poland highlights Moscow's increasing willingness to test Western resolve as it continues mass airstrikes on Ukraine, prepares for war games in Belarus and negotiations to end the war are stalled. 


Russian Drones Crossing into Poland Risk Escalation with NATO

Assessments

Ecuador

Mexico

North Korea

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Eurasia

Trump and Zelensky at the White House West Wing in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025.

Even as President Trump floats the possibility of a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, a breakthrough in negotiations is unlikely given the Kremlin's noncommittal response to the Aug. 18 White House talks. 

Despite Flurry of U.S. Diplomacy, a Ukraine Peace Deal Will Remain Elusive

Columns

On Geopolitics

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose ahead of a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. 

As Putin and Trump prepare to meet in Alaska, the main risk for Ukraine is a U.S.-Russia deal that cements major territorial losses while offering weak security guarantees, leaving it vulnerable to future Russian aggression.

Putin-Trump Summit: The Risks for Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive at a press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018, in Helsinki, Finland.

The meeting risks sidelining Ukraine and enabling Russia to delay sanctions, consolidate battlefield gains, and advance its strategic interests through a U.S.-Russia peace framework.

What To Expect From the Upcoming Trump-Putin Summit

Cambodia

Thailand

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Oval Office of the White House on July 22, 2025. 

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: Last-Minute U.S. Trade Talks, a New Polish President

Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Latvia

Estonia

Sweden

Norway

Belarus

A view in Rostock, Germany, of the first exit of warships for the NATO exercise BALTOPS in the Baltic Sea on June 5, 2025. 

In response to Russian aggression, NATO is seeking to establish strategic control over the Baltic Sea via rearmament and more assertive posturing, creating an environment where the risk of miscalculation grows exponentially.

Baltic on the Brink: The New Flashpoint in Europe's Confrontation With Russia

A protester holds a Ukrainian flag in downtown Kyiv on July 22, 2025, during a demonstration calling for President Volodymyr Zelensky to veto a law that reduces the powers of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies.

A new law placing Ukraine's two anti-corruption agencies under executive control raises the risk of further protests that could destabilize Zelensky's government and undermine its war effort.

In Ukraine, a Controversial Law Fuels Protests and Corruption Concerns

United Kingdom

U.S. President Donald Trump on April 24 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. In an interview July 10, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he would "have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday," perhaps representing a shift in his administration's policy.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Speaks on Ukraine, Sweeping EU Budget Reform

A Ukrainian soldier works on an AN/TWQ-1 Avenger anti-aircraft missile system on Nov. 28, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Despite Trump's impatience with Russia's failure to de-escalate in Ukraine, the White House is highly unlikely to dramatically ramp up pressure in a way that significantly alters the Kremlin's calculus.

What Trump's Growing Frustration With Russia Means for U.S. Policy

A Ukrainian soldier works on an Avenger AN/TWQ-1 anti-aircraft missile system on Nov. 28, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Without new supplies of U.S. Patriot interceptors and precision-guided munitions, Ukraine will struggle to defend against Russia's escalating aerial attacks, which could eventually force it into an unfavorable peace deal.

Ukraine Grapples With a Freeze on U.S. Weapons Deliveries

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Iran

Israel

Israeli air defense systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on June 18, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Israel-Iran Conflict Rages On, NATO Holds Annual Summit

<p>Ukraine is the quintessential borderland state. The country borders three former Soviet states (Russia, Belarus and Moldova) and four countries in the European Union (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania). Ukraine also has a coastline along the Black Sea to the south. Ukraine sits on the Northern European Plain, the area that has historically served as an invasion superhighway going east and west. Beyond its strategic location, Ukraine&#39;s geography has only facilitated such invasions. The country consists of flat and fertile plains, with the exception of the Carpathian Mountain range that arches into the far west of the country. But even these mountains can be penetrated and have not posed a significant barrier to invasion. Given such lack of barriers, Ukraine&#39;s wide-open geography is inextricably linked to that of Russia. Ukraine&#39;s agricultural and industrial belts have traditionally been integrated with Russia&#39;s, and Ukraine serves as the primary transit state for Russian energy exports to Europe. Due to its location and abundance of agricultural and mineral resources, Ukraine has been contested between regional powers for centuries. This competition is currently playing out in an extreme form today, with a Western-backed government confronting a Russian-backed uprising in eastern Ukraine. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Ukraine has several population and political cores, including Lviv in the west, Kiev in the center and the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. These different cores make administering Ukraine difficult. The current crisis in Ukraine is therefore merely the latest iteration of the country&#39;s internal divisions and the long-standing East-West conflict over the country. Maintaining sovereignty and unity in the face of this competition is Ukraine&#39;s primary geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Ukraine: Ukraine Expands Drone Strikes on Russian Energy Infrastructure

U.S., Europe: Trump Proposes U.S.-Europe Tariffs on China, Brussels Will Reject It

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Declares Foreign Troops in Ukraine 'Legitimate Targets,' Dismisses Current Peace Efforts

Europe, Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine's Western Backers Discuss Security Guarantees for Kyiv

Russia, Ukraine: Zelensky Lays Out Framework for Security Guarantees Following Russian Strike

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Strikes Hit Russian Nuclear Plant as Moscow Hardens Peace Terms

Denmark, Ukraine: Copenhagen To Host Four Days of Ukraine-Related Meetings

Hungary, Slovakia: Ukraine’s Attacks on Druzhba Oil Pipeline Labeled 'Totally Unacceptable'

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