Europe

Russia

Moldova

Politics

On   July 15, the Council of the European Union added seven people and three organizations to its Moldova‑focused sanctions list.

Moldova: EU Sanctions Individuals and Organizations Accused of Destabilizing Country

United States

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was ready to negotiate with the White House to end the war in Ukraine, but he added that Moscow would not respond well to ultimatums, The Guardian reported on July 15.

Russia, U.S.: Russia Says It Is Willing To Negotiate Peace, but Rejects 'Ultimatums'

North Korea

Ukraine

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and received a public pledge of "unconditional support" for Russia's actions in Ukraine, Yonhap reported on July 13.

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

Economics

U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would send "really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition" to Ukraine, paid for by Ukraine's European allies, The Guardian reported on July 14.

U.S., Ukraine: U.S. To Send 'Massive' Numbers of Military Equipment to Ukraine

Speaking to reporters on July 7, U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration would send "more weapons" to Ukraine and that he was "disappointed" in Russian President Vladimir Putin, Politico reported the same day.

U.S., Ukraine: Trump Pledges More Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine, but Details Scant

China

Laos

Ukraine's military intelligence claimed Russia sought to involve Laos in its war against Ukraine by deploying a unit of 50 Laotian military engineers to conduct demining operations in Russia's Kursk province, The Kyiv Independent reported on July 5. 

Laos, Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Intelligence Claims Laos Will Send Military Engineering Unit to Russia

Ethiopia

Nigeria

South Africa

Uganda

Brazil

Cuba

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Malaysia

Thailand

Vietnam

Uzbekistan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

India

BRICS+ leaders gathered in Brazil for the bloc's 17th summit and issued a joint statement defending multilateralism, calling for U.N. reform and supporting Russia's and Iran's positions in ongoing conflicts, g1 reported on July 6.

BRICS+: Bloc Increasingly Leans Away From West, but Avoids Picking Fights With U.S.

Afghanistan

Russia's presidential envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, announced that Russia had officially recognized the Taliban-run Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, making it the first country in the world to do so, RIA Novosti reported on July 3.

Afghanistan, Russia: Russia Becomes First Country To Officially Recognize the Taliban Government 

Assessments

Asia-Pacific

Diplomats attend the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. 

U.S.-China Relations

Chinese, Russian and U.S. participation in the summit shows that the Southeast Asian bloc will remain a key venue for diplomatic hedging and potential great power friction in the years ahead.

ASEAN Meeting Provides an Arena for Multipolar Competition

Australia

Germany

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.

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

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

Snapshots

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

Georgia

Georgian anti-government demonstrators attempt to block a highway entrance to the capital Tbilisi on Feb. 2, 2025

The government's efforts to suppress the opposition risk roiling its relations with the West, triggering more mass protests, and potentially enabling Russia to expand its influence in Georgia.

Georgia's Crackdown on Dissent Risks Drawing It Closer to Russia and Alienating the West

Armenia

Azerbaijan

A man walks past Azerbaijan's Embassy in Moscow on July 2, 2025. 

Energy

As the relationship between Azerbaijan and Russia sours, outside powers will embrace opportunities to increase their influence in the Caucasus.

 In the Caucasus, Russia's Sway Weakens Amid Quarrel With Azerbaijan

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

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

Mali

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Malian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop hold a joint press conference following their meeting in Moscow, Russia, on May 20, 2022. 

While Russian military support to Mali is set to persist, the Sahelian country's security environment will likely continue to deteriorate amid jihadist groups' strong momentum.

What's Next for Mali as Russia's Wagner Group Pulls Out? 

Turkey

Pakistan

The Geopolitics of Trade

Global Trade

Turkey's export strategy necessitates trade partnerships with countries in many different spheres of influence, portending both risks and opportunities as Ankara attempts to maintain its neutral middle-power status.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Turkey's Export Strategy Hinges on Neutrality

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

Poland

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 18 at the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in Moscow. The increasing costs of the war in Ukraine will increase Moscow's incentive to end it, but only in the medium to long term.

The increasing costs of the war in Ukraine will increase Moscow's incentive to end it, but only in the medium to long term.

The Role of Economics in Russia's War Strategy

<p>Despite being the largest country in the world by area, the Russian Federation occupies territory that is indefensible and unforgiving. The core of Russia, running from the Volga grain belts up through Moscow proper to the Baltic Sea, lacks any natural features to fortify it from attack. This is why the country has traditionally anchored its territory to major geographic barriers far from its core in an attempt to keep foreign powers distant. As a result, Russia has inevitably had to reach east across the frozen tundra of Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, southeast to the Tien Shen mountains of Central Asia, south to the Caucasus Mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, and finally west to the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. But, there is one major hole in this geographic expanse: The Northern European plane. The Northern European plane is a gap between the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic sea which, at its narrowest, is 480 kilometers (300 miles) across. This narrow point, referred to as the Polish funnel, lies just West of Warsaw and reaches down Krakow in the south. Russia has faced three major attackers along this axis; Napoleon, Wilhelm II, and Hitler. Most recently, the expansion of NATO and the European Union into Central and Eastern Europe has raised Russian hackles. Moscow would much prefer to control the lands between Russia and the Polish funnel &mdash; pushing as far west as possible &mdash; knowing full well that once an attacker has passed that narrow chokepoint, it is an open march to Russia&#39;s heartland. For this reason, Moscow seeks to occupy or influence its borderlands, or at the very least, maintain their neutrality. Looking beyond its indefensible borders and largely hollow interior, Russia boasts a diverse population of 144,463,450 people and a powerful military. These armed forces, backed by an autocratic political system, help protect the country&#39;s unwieldy land mass. Russia&#39;s economy is inherently fragile and highly dependent on commodity exports ranging from grain to energy. The country is traditionally at its most powerful when a strong, heavy-handed leader is in charge, such as current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, though, the Kremlin must continually deal with internal political divisions, rising ethnic tensions and regional dissidence.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Moldova: EU Sanctions Individuals and Organizations Accused of Destabilizing Country

Russia, U.S.: Russia Says It Is Willing To Negotiate Peace, but Rejects 'Ultimatums'

North Korea, Russia: Lavrov Secures Pyongyang's Open-Ended Support for Ukraine War

U.S., Ukraine: U.S. To Send 'Massive' Numbers of Military Equipment to Ukraine

U.S., Ukraine: Trump Pledges More Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine, but Details Scant

Laos, Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Intelligence Claims Laos Will Send Military Engineering Unit to Russia

BRICS+: Bloc Increasingly Leans Away From West, but Avoids Picking Fights With U.S.

Afghanistan, Russia: Russia Becomes First Country To Officially Recognize the Taliban Government

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