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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

Economics

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

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated it was "premature" to conclude the conflict in Ukraine was nearing an end, TASS reported Nov. 26.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Prospects of Near-Term Peace

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow will only negotiate based on the original U.S.-Russia understandings from Anchorage, preemptively rejecting any revisions to the U.S. peace plan, TASS reported Nov. 25.

Russia, Ukraine: Lavrov Rejects Modified Peace Plan, Insists on Original Terms 

Ukrainian drones struck the Shatura Power Station located 75 miles to the east of Moscow, causing a large fire and disrupting local heating services, Reuters reported Nov. 23.

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Shatura Power Station Near Moscow

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

Assessments

Europe

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

SITUATION REPORTS

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

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Prospects of Near-Term Peace

Russia, Ukraine: Lavrov Rejects Modified Peace Plan, Insists on Original Terms

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Shatura Power Station Near Moscow

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

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

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