Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said any Russia-Ukraine ceasefire would require Ukraine's full withdrawal from the Donbas region, Kommersant reported on Dec. 12.

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Signals Rigid Donbas Preconditions as Allies Revise Peace Plan

Europe

Economics

EU member states are set to formally approve on Dec. 12 a European Commission proposal to indefinitely immobilize around 210 billion euros (roughly $246 billion) in Russian central bank assets held in Europe, replacing the current six-month sanctions rollover that requires unanimity, Reuters reported the same day.

Europe, Russia, Ukraine: EU Moves To Freeze Russian Central Bank Assets Indefinitely

United States

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv and its European partners are ready to present "refined" peace proposals to Washington following high-stakes meetings in London, Brussels and Rome, Reuters reported on Dec. 9.

Ukraine, Europe: Zelensky's Diplomatic Marathon Tests Western Unity Against Trump's Christmas Deadline

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that Kyiv was seeking a standalone security agreement from Western allies and "above all the U.S." to run parallel to any peace treaty, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 8. 

Ukraine: Zelensky Signals Deadlock on Donbas and Seeks Security Guarantees

Germany

France

United Kingdom

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv will present a revised 20-point peace framework to U.S. officials on Dec. 9 following consultations with British, French and German leaders in London, United Kingdom, Reuters reported on Dec. 8.

Ukraine, Europe: Kyiv Prepares Counterproposal for Washington as Territorial Deadlock Persists

U.S. President Donald Trump described the path toward Russia-Ukraine peace talks as "unclear," Reuters reported on Dec. 3. 

Russia, U.S.: Peace Talks Stall as Putin Issues Donbas Ultimatum

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a five-hour meeting in Moscow to discuss a U.S.-proposed peace framework, Reuters reported on Dec. 2.

Russia, U.S.: Peace Talks With Putin Yield No Immediate Breakthrough

U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators met for several hours in Florida, where both sides described "productive" progress on a revised U.S. peace plan, Reuters reported Dec.1.

U.S., Ukraine: Florida Talks Advance Revised Peace Plan but Core Disputes Persist

Assessments

Tanzania

Hong Kong SAR, China

Protesters help an injured demonstrator near burning barricades amid clashes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Oct. 29, 2025. 

Environment, Science & Technology

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

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

The Weekly Rundown: Unrest in Tanzania, an EU Summit in Ukraine

Eurasia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025.

Energy

Fundamental disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over territorial concessions and security guarantees suggest that peace negotiations are unlikely to lead to a comprehensive breakthrough.

Despite U.S. Diplomatic Push, Ukraine Peace Still a Long Way Off

Honduras

China

India

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their bilateral meeting during the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

Global Trade

The Weekly Rundown: Putin-Modi Meeting, Honduras General Election

Columns

A Ukrainian serviceman from the 24th mechanized brigade prepares a Magura night drone to flight toward the front line in the area of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region late on April 29, 2025.

Ukraine's success in using cheap drones against Russia reveals how smaller states can leverage accessible technologies to impose disproportionate and sustained costs on a materially superior adversary.

Drones Are Redefining Asymmetric Warfare

Smoke rises in the background as a Ukrainian flag flutters in the wind following a mass overnight Russian drone and missile attacks, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Nov. 19, 2025. 

European efforts to adjust core elements of Trump's plan won't shield Ukraine from his latest threat to withdraw support, and Europe's limited leverage and internal constraints mean it is unlikely to sustain Kyiv's defense alone if talks with the White House fail.

What To Make of Europe's Counterproposal to the U.S. Ukraine Peace Plan

Angola

South Africa

Japan

South Korea

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.

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

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

Venezuela

Spain

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

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

On Geopolitics

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

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>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: Moscow Signals Rigid Donbas Preconditions as Allies Revise Peace Plan

Europe, Russia, Ukraine: EU Moves To Freeze Russian Central Bank Assets Indefinitely

Ukraine, Europe: Zelensky's Diplomatic Marathon Tests Western Unity Against Trump's Christmas Deadline

Ukraine: Zelensky Signals Deadlock on Donbas and Seeks Security Guarantees

Ukraine, Europe: Kyiv Prepares Counterproposal for Washington as Territorial Deadlock Persists

Russia, U.S.: Peace Talks Stall as Putin Issues Donbas Ultimatum

Russia, U.S.: Peace Talks With Putin Yield No Immediate Breakthrough

U.S., Ukraine: Florida Talks Advance Revised Peace Plan but Core Disputes Persist

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