Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

At the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has "no aggressive intentions" toward NATO, dismissing Western concerns as "hysteria" and telling Europeans to "calm down, sleep tight, and deal with your own issues," The New York Times reported on Oct. 2.

Russia: Putin Denies NATO Threat While Drones Test Europe's Defenses

United States

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The United States agreed to give Ukraine targeting data to help guide long-range missile strikes against Russian energy sites, The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 1.

Ukraine: U.S. Expands Intelligence Support for Strikes Inside Russia

Europe

Economics

EU leaders gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss the possible use of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, plans to build a "drone wall" on NATO's eastern flank, proposals to accelerate Ukraine's EU membership process and next steps to impose more sanctions on Russia, Politico reported on Oct. 1.

EU, Ukraine: EU Leaders Discuss Ukraine's Membership, Drone Wall, Sanctions

Energy

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine has been without external electricity since Sept. 23, when its last remaining power line was severed during fighting, Reuters reported on Oct. 1.

Ukraine, Russia: Europe's Largest Nuclear Plant Teeters as Power Cut Extends Beyond a Week

Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russia's 2025 summer offensive failed to achieve its main goals, Reuters reported on Sept. 26.

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Declares Russia's Summer Offensive 'Disrupted' 

China

From the third quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, Chinese industry experts assisted Western-sanctioned Russian drone companies in researching and producing at least six types of drones capable of surveillance, intelligence gathering and offensive strikes for use in Russia's war against Ukraine, Reuters sources revealed on Sept. 25.

China, Russia: More Evidence of Large-Scale Chinese Drone Assistance for Russia's War in Ukraine

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks calling Russia a "paper tiger" and urging Ukraine to retake all occupied land, Reuters reported on Sept. 24.

Russia, U.S.: Kremlin Pushes Back on Trump's 'Paper Tiger' Comment

Slovakia

Hungary

Global Trade

The European Commission unveiled its proposal for the EU's 19th package of sanctions against Russia on Sept. 19, Reuters reported the same day. The measures propose a full ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports (LNG) starting Jan. 1, 2027, a year earlier than previously planned.

EU, Russia: European Commission Proposes Faster Phaseout of Russian LNG

Assessments

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Denmark

Moldova

Representatives are pictured ahead of a working session during the informal EU foreign ministers' meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Aug. 30, 2025.

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

The Weekly Rundown: EU Leaders Meet in Denmark, Moldova Elects a New Parliament

Guyana

Australia

Japan

The President of the 80th session of the U.N. General Assembly and former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during a General Assembly meeting to vote on a two-state solution to the Palestinian question on Sept. 12 at the United Nations in New York. Countries including Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom will likely formally recognize Palestinian statehood over the next several days at the assembly.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Western Countries Recognize Palestine, the EU Discusses a 'Drone Wall'

Snapshots

Poland

Russia's drone incursion into Poland highlights Moscow's increasing willingness to test Western resolve as it continues mass airstrikes on Ukraine, prepares for war games in Belarus and negotiations to end the war are stalled. 


Russian Drones Crossing into Poland Risk Escalation with NATO

Ecuador

Mexico

North Korea

India

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Eurasia

Trump and Zelensky at the White House West Wing in Washington, DC, on August 18, 2025.

Even as President Trump floats the possibility of a trilateral summit with Putin and Zelensky, a breakthrough in negotiations is unlikely given the Kremlin's noncommittal response to the Aug. 18 White House talks. 

Despite Flurry of U.S. Diplomacy, a Ukraine Peace Deal Will Remain Elusive

Columns

On Geopolitics

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose ahead of a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. 

As Putin and Trump prepare to meet in Alaska, the main risk for Ukraine is a U.S.-Russia deal that cements major territorial losses while offering weak security guarantees, leaving it vulnerable to future Russian aggression.

Putin-Trump Summit: The Risks for Ukraine

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

Cambodia

Thailand

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. 

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

Lithuania

Germany

Finland

Latvia

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

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

<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: Putin Denies NATO Threat While Drones Test Europe's Defenses

Ukraine: U.S. Expands Intelligence Support for Strikes Inside Russia

EU, Ukraine: EU Leaders Discuss Ukraine's Membership, Drone Wall, Sanctions

Ukraine, Russia: Europe's Largest Nuclear Plant Teeters as Power Cut Extends Beyond a Week

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Declares Russia's Summer Offensive 'Disrupted'

China, Russia: More Evidence of Large-Scale Chinese Drone Assistance for Russia's War in Ukraine

Russia, U.S.: Kremlin Pushes Back on Trump's 'Paper Tiger' Comment

EU, Russia: European Commission Proposes Faster Phaseout of Russian LNG

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