Ukraine

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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire from April 11-12, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would observe, Reuters reported on April 9.

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Announces Easter Ceasefire

Bahrain

Iran

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Energy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was discussing security cooperation with Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, Reuters reported on April 10.

Ukraine, MENA: Kyiv in Talks for More Security Cooperation With Gulf Countries

Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian oil export infrastructure, including Baltic ports such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk, Bloomberg reported on April 7.

Russia, Ukraine: Kyiv Escalates Strikes on Russian Oil Infrastructure

Syria

Turkey

Over the weekend of April 3-5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, where the leaders agreed to expand security cooperation, including in defense, infrastructure and food security, Reuters reported on April 5. 

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

Serbia

Hungary

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic claimed Serbian authorities discovered "an explosive of devastating power" near a gas pipeline connecting his country to Hungary, leading Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to imply, without directly attributing blame, that Ukrainian saboteurs were responsible, Politico reported on April 5.

Hungary, Serbia: Authorities Claim To Foil Pipeline Sabotage Plot but Face False-Flag Allegations

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had completely captured Ukraine's Luhansk region, Reuters reported on April 1.

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Claims It Seized All of Luhansk

United States

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal for an Easter pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, saying Russia had not seen a clearly formulated initiative, Reuters reported on March 31.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Energy Truce as Strikes Hit Oil Exports

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a military cooperation agreement to develop defense ties and potential contracts, Bloomberg reported on March 27.

Ukraine, Saudi Arabia: Kyiv Expands Defense Ties in the Gulf

Assessments

Europe

Lithuania

Latvia

Estonia

Eurasia

A soldier from the "Taifun" unmanned aerial vehicle unit prepares a new strike drone for flight on April 7, 2026 in Ukraine. 

Although Moscow is threatening retaliation against Baltic states over supposed involvement in Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, the Kremlin will not risk a direct military confrontation with NATO.


Direct NATO-Russia Confrontation in the Baltic Unlikely, Despite Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy Infrastructure 

Israel

Denmark

France

Italy

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

U.S.-Iran Relations

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 Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

China

Japan

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Takaichi Meets With Trump

A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a truck equipped with a machine gun during an air raid alert in Kyiv on Jan. 24, 2026, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Russia's ability to sustain its war efforts despite mounting economic strain, combined with the U.S.'s new focus on Iran, makes meaningful progress in peace talks unlikely anytime soon.

Ukraine War Enters Its Fifth Year, With No Near End in Sight

City authorities and businesses rebuild residential buildings damaged by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on July 12, 2023.

While European governments can fund Ukraine's war effort this year and next, securing the investment needed to rebuild damaged infrastructure will face significant political, economic and structural hurdles.

The Challenge of Rebuilding Ukraine's Economy

Columns

On Geopolitics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Aug. 17, 2025.

Despite its strategic imperative to secure Ukraine's Western alignment, the EU remains unlikely to grant the country full or partial membership anytime soon due to numerous challenges, with the ongoing war being chief among them.

To Keep the Promise of Ukraine's Accession Alive, the EU Mulls Alternative Options

Palestinian Territories

Indonesia

Vietnam

Slovakia

India

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

Snapshots

Emirati flags on Feb. 4 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On Feb. 4-5, delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States held a second round of trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.

The talks are unlikely to produce a near-term settlement, as Russia will continue to press its territorial demands while using diplomacy to manage sanctions pressure and build leverage ahead of a spring-summer offensive.

The Limits of Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a meeting with European national security advisors in Kyiv on Jan. 3, 2026. 

The reshuffle seeks to strengthen Zelensky's negotiating position and mitigate the political fallout from a likely unfavorable peace deal amid weakening Western support and Russia's continued battlefield advances.

Ukraine's Government Reshuffle Signals Preparation for a Tough Peace Deal

Greenland

Switzerland

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Nigeria

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Taiwan

Norway

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

Social Issues

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

Media

Forecast Webcast

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

<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: Putin Announces Easter Ceasefire

Ukraine, MENA: Kyiv in Talks for More Security Cooperation With Gulf Countries

Russia, Ukraine: Kyiv Escalates Strikes on Russian Oil Infrastructure

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

Hungary, Serbia: Authorities Claim To Foil Pipeline Sabotage Plot but Face False-Flag Allegations

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Claims It Seized All of Luhansk

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Energy Truce as Strikes Hit Oil Exports

Ukraine, Saudi Arabia: Kyiv Expands Defense Ties in the Gulf

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