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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

EU foreign ministers convened an emergency video summit to discuss the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Politico reported on Aug. 11.

Europe, Ukraine, Russia: European Leaders To Meet Trump and Zelensky Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting

China

Economics

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone on Aug. 8 at Putin's request, according to China's state-owned Xinhua.

China, Russia: Beijing Pressures Moscow for Progress on Ukraine Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin met for three hours with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow to discuss a potential Ukraine peace deal, just days ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to end the war or face sanctions, Reuters reported on Aug. 6.

Russia, U.S.: Putin-Witkoff Meeting Signals Diplomacy To Secure Sanctions Off-Ramp From U.S.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new law reestablishing the institutional independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, reversing amendments adopted on July 22 that had placed both bodies under the prosecutor general's control, The Washington Post reported on July 31. 

Ukraine: Zelensky Signs Anti-Graft Law Amendments, Restores Anti-Corruption Agencies' Independence

Energy

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would give Russia 10-12 days to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine, shortening the initial 50-day deadline he issued on July 14, Bloomberg reported on July 28.

Russia, Ukraine: Trump Compresses Ceasefire Ultimatum Deadline, Signals Pivot to Economic Coercion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky formally submited a draft bill to parliament that would repeal the July 22 amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code subordinating the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office to the prosecutor general, BBC reported on July 24.

Ukraine: New Bill To Reverse Anti-Corruption Rollback, but Leaves Prosecutorial Leverage Intact

Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey, for their third round of direct talks, during which envoys agreed to exchange captured and deceased people, though there are conflicting reports about precise numbers, Bloomberg reported on July 23.

Russia, Ukraine: Envoys Meet for Third Time but Make Little Progress

France

Following meetings in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that French companies will begin manufacturing drones in Ukraine, Euractiv reported on July 21. 

France, Ukraine: Paris Announces Agreement To Manufacture Drones on Ukrainian Soil

Snapshots

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

Assessments

Cambodia

Thailand

Poland

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

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

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Latvia

Denmark

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

Australia

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

Canada

Japan

Italy

An image shows a row of flags from the G7 members.

The June 15-17 summit will provide an opportunity for the bloc to discuss trade tensions and the war in Ukraine, but the meeting is more likely to expose transatlantic divisions over Trump's tariffs and reluctance to pressure Russia.

What To Expect From the First G7 Summit Following Trump's Return to the White House

Service members of Ukraine's 13th Khartia Brigade load a Vampire drone with food and ammunition supplies to be delivered to the infantry at the frontline on March 7, 2025, in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. 

Ukraine's recent string of asymmetric attacks on Russian soil could make Moscow more flexible in negotiations, but it also risks diplomatic blowback that at least temporarily scuttles peace talks.

The Implications of Ukraine's Audacious Attacks on Russia

Mexico

South Korea

Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian delegates meet for peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 16, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine-Russia Talks, Mexico's First-Ever Judicial Elections

This combination of pictures shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) during a press conference in Berlin on June 11, 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow on March 18, 2025.

While direct talks mark a notable development in the peace process, Moscow will not make meaningful concessions unless it faces bolder action from the West (particularly the U.S.), like asset seizures and increased military aid to Ukraine.

Russia Agrees To Hold Talks With Ukraine Amid U.S. Pressure, but Peace Will Remain Elusive

<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

Europe, Ukraine, Russia: European Leaders To Meet Trump and Zelensky Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting

China, Russia: Beijing Pressures Moscow for Progress on Ukraine Ceasefire

Russia, U.S.: Putin-Witkoff Meeting Signals Diplomacy To Secure Sanctions Off-Ramp From U.S.

Ukraine: Zelensky Signs Anti-Graft Law Amendments, Restores Anti-Corruption Agencies' Independence

Russia, Ukraine: Trump Compresses Ceasefire Ultimatum Deadline, Signals Pivot to Economic Coercion

Ukraine: New Bill To Reverse Anti-Corruption Rollback, but Leaves Prosecutorial Leverage Intact

Russia, Ukraine: Envoys Meet for Third Time but Make Little Progress

France, Ukraine: Paris Announces Agreement To Manufacture Drones on Ukrainian Soil

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