<p>Eurasia is the world&rsquo;s most expansive region. It connects the East to the West, forming a land bridge that borders Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South Asia. Forming the borders of this massive tract of land are the Northern European Plain, the Carpathian Mountains, the Southern Caucasus Mountains, the Tien Shan Mountains and Siberia. At the heart of Eurasia is Russia, a country that throughout history has tried, to varying degrees of success, to extend its influence to Eurasia&rsquo;s farthest reaches &mdash; a strategy meant to insulate it from outside powers. But this strategy necessarily creates conflict throughout Russia&rsquo;s borderlands, putting Eurasia a near constant state of instability.</p>

Eurasia connects the East to the West, forming a land bridge that borders Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South Asia. 

Eurasia

Armenia

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

Georgia

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Russia

Moldova

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Cyber

The Ukraine Conflict

The Politics of Pipelines

The New Silk Road

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

The Second Space Race

Echoes of the Cold War

Russia's Internal Struggle

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Moscow Looks to the East

Instability in Central Asia

Media

Cuba

United States

Iran

Forecast Webcast

Economics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Third-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast Webcast

U.S.-Iran Relations

Assessments

An officer of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine stands on a destroyed bridge over the Dnipro River, which forms the state border between Ukraine and Belarus, on June 1, 2026.

Military & Security

The threat of Ukrainian retaliatory strikes and Belarus's limited offensive capabilities will likely keep Minsk from directly entering the conflict, but the country will remain a critical base for Russian military pressure against Ukraine and NATO.

Despite Russian Pressure, Belarus Remains Unlikely to Join the Ukraine War

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Europe

South Asia

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Social Issues

A fragile truce in the Middle East, persistent energy-driven inflation, shifting U.S. trade policy and escalating regional pressures from Europe to Africa will collectively shape geopolitical risk in the third quarter.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Botswana

Lesotho

Namibia

South Africa

Eswatini

Colombia

Vessels at anchorage June 18 in Bandar Abbas, Iran, along the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed June 17 is highly likely to remain in effect over the coming week, and negotiations toward a final deal will begin.

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Iranian Talks, Colombia's Presidential Runoff

A Ukrainian flag flies in Riga, Latvia, on May 18, 2026.

Even a sustainable peace settlement would leave Kyiv grappling with a $600 billion reconstruction bill, demanding high levels of foreign direct investment and stringent governance reforms.

Ukraine's Defense Will Continue To Strain Government Finances

Peru

Israel

Lebanon

China

North Korea

A banner depicting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on June 3 in Tehran. There will be an elevated risk of sporadic U.S.-Iran clashes over the next week, as no signs of a diplomatic breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations on a memorandum of understanding have emerged.

The Weekly Rundown: Armenian Elections, Xi Goes to North Korea

Thousands of Armenians participate in a rally in Yerevan's Republic Square on May 26, 2024. 

Prime Minister Pashinyan's likely reelection will empower him to finalize a peace treaty with Azerbaijan and deepen ties with the West, though Russian economic pressure and domestic opposition to constitutional changes could undermine these efforts.

What's at Stake in Armenia's Upcoming Election

Turkey

A window view from Turkey's Eastern Express train. 

Improved relations could unlock strategic and economic benefits for both countries, especially if their border is reopened, though Russia's entrenched influence in Armenia remains a key constraint.

Russian Coercion Will Constrain Budding Turkey-Armenia Rapprochement

Technicians work at the main blast furnace at the Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works on Feb. 12, 2024 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

Part two of this report examines how either a comprehensive peace agreement or a severe escalation of the war would affect Ukraine's investment climate.



Scenarios for the Future of Foreign Investment in Ukraine, Part 2

An employee assembles a long-range drone in a workshop of the Fire Point company, which manufactures FP-1 deep-strike drones and FP-2 strike drones, Jan. 29 in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.

This two-part report outlines how the trajectory of the war with Russia will act as the ultimate determinant of capital allocation and economic recovery in Ukraine.

Scenarios for the Future of Foreign Investment in Ukraine, Part 1

In a June 26 letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ukraine argued that it could legally attack Russian shadow fleet vessels, contending tankers transporting Russian oil and gas should be treated as ordinary commercial ships, given their role in generating revenue for Russia's war effort, the Financial Times reported June 30.

Ukraine, Russia: IMO Dispute Will Increase Shadow Fleet Scrutiny

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia may import fuel if Moscow reaches supply agreements at acceptable prices, calling imports another step toward stabilizing the domestic market and reducing panic demand, TASS reported June 30.

Russia: Kremlin Confirms Fuel Import Talks as Ukrainian Strikes Strain Supplies

Monaco

Authorities in Monaco announced they are treating a June 29 explosion that seriously injured three people as "attempted murder" and not considering it a terrorist attack, The Guardian reported June 30.

Monaco: Attempted Assassination Targets Ukrainian-Born Tycoon

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to continue talks with U.S. envoys on ending the war in Ukraine but rejected proposals for a mutual halt to long-range strikes and for limiting fighting to the four occupied Ukrainian regions, Bloomberg reported June 28.

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Admits Ukrainian Strikes Are Causing Fuel Shortages, but Rejects Truce Proposal

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov that Minsk does not want to be drawn into the war against Ukraine, saying he had repeatedly discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin why Belarus did not want to fight Ukrainians, BelTA reported on June 25.

Belarus, Russia: Lukashenko Says Belarus Does Not Want To Fight Ukraine

Poland

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Poland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the transfer of the first 3.2 billion euro ($3.6 billion) tranche under the European Union's 90 billion euro Ukraine Support Loan and said the bloc would begin disbursing funds from a 6 billion euro drone-production package in the coming days, Interfax-Ukraine reported on June 25.

Ukraine, EU: EU Loan Anchors Gdansk Recovery Conference Amid Poland-Ukraine Row

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concluded a visit to Brussels, Belgium, with a package of transport, aviation and minerals-related agreements, including $462 million in commercial transport and infrastructure deals, and a landmark Horizontal Aviation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the European Union, The Times of Central Asia reported on June 24.

Kazakhstan, EU: Tokayev Secures Transport and Aviation Deals in Brussels

Citing Ukrainian intelligence, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had begun pulling air defense systems from other regions and from occupied Ukrainian territory to reinforce the defense of Moscow and the Kerch Bridge, which links Crimea to Russia, Interfax-Ukraine reported on June 24.

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Reallocates Air Defenses To Protect Capital and Kerch Bridge

Eurasia

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine, Russia: IMO Dispute Will Increase Shadow Fleet Scrutiny

Russia: Kremlin Confirms Fuel Import Talks as Ukrainian Strikes Strain Supplies

Monaco: Attempted Assassination Targets Ukrainian-Born Tycoon

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Admits Ukrainian Strikes Are Causing Fuel Shortages, but Rejects Truce Proposal

Belarus, Russia: Lukashenko Says Belarus Does Not Want To Fight Ukraine

Ukraine, EU: EU Loan Anchors Gdansk Recovery Conference Amid Poland-Ukraine Row

Kazakhstan, EU: Tokayev Secures Transport and Aviation Deals in Brussels

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Reallocates Air Defenses To Protect Capital and Kerch Bridge

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