Uzbekistan

Armenia

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Russia

Kyrgyzstan

Economics

Politics

Leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union on Dec. 21 approved a "differentiated" framework for a common financial market and initiated customs data exchange negotiations with Uzbekistan during the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Russia: Moscow Scraps Plans for Common Eurasian Financial Market

Ukraine

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The two-star Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the Russian General Staff's Operational Training Directorate, was killed when a bomb detonated under his car in southern Moscow, Kommersant reported on Dec. 22. 

Russia: Senior General Killed in Moscow Bombing of Car

United States

The Kremlin dismissed proposals discussed by European Ukrainian and U.S. envoys in Miami over the weekend as "rather unconstructive," Interfax reported Dec. 21.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Miami Peace Proposals

Europe

Global Trade

On Dec. 22, the European Council officially extended the European Union's sanctions against Russia for an additional six months, until July 31, 2026, the institution announced. 

EU: Brussels Extends Sanctions on Russia for Further 6 Months

During a 4.5-hour end-of-year press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow would only end the war in Ukraine if Kyiv abandoned its bid to join NATO and withdrew from all territories claimed by Russia, Reuters reported on Dec. 19.

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Digs In on Maximalist Peace Terms Ahead of Miami Talks

EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan over 2026-27, backed by the EU budget, after failing to secure consensus on using frozen Russian central bank assets, Reuters reported on Dec. 18.

EU, Ukraine: EU Loan for Ukraine Defers Use of Frozen Russian Assets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said no consensus had been reached on a peace plan with Russia and Western partners following a recent round of talks with U.S. and European officials, Ukraine's national public broadcaster Suspilne reported on Dec. 18.

Ukraine, U.S.: Zelensky Signals Stalemate Ahead of Miami Talks

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Turkey to return the S-400 missile defense system it received in 2019 and recoup billions of dollars spent on the initial purchase, potentially in deductions from Turkey's oil and natural gas import bills, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 17.

Turkey, Russia, U.S.: Erdogan Seeks To Return Russia's S-400 To Ease U.S. Sanctions

Assessments

Venezuela

Cambodia

Thailand

A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II on Dec. 15 taxis at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.

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

The Weekly Rundown: French Budget Deadlock, U.S.-Russia Talks in Miami

China

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Energy

Despite growing interest from Russia, China and Western powers, Central Asia will struggle to emerge as a true continental trade hub due to competing agendas, weak financing and coordination, and security and governance issues.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Central Asia's Struggle for Logistics Sovereignty

A stock photo shows banknotes of the Russian ruble. 

The European Union using immobilized Russian assets to fund financial support for Ukraine will probably not have major reputational or financial consequences for the eurozone.


Using Frozen Russian Assets To Fund Ukraine Unlikely To Majorly Impact the Euro

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.

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

India

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025.

While Putin's Dec. 4-5 visit may yield some progress in defense, energy and trade cooperation, India will likely maintain selective engagement with Russia as it navigates U.S. pressure and continues diversifying its arms suppliers.

What To Expect as Putin Visits India

Honduras

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their bilateral meeting during the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev address participants of the 21st Russia-Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum via a video link during their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Nov. 12, 2025. 

The deals signed during Kazakh President Tokayev's recent trip to Moscow will provide Astana with short-term stability but will limit its strategic autonomy and ability to further engage with the West, while heightening its exposure to Russian coercion.

What Russia's Courtship of Kazakhstan Says About the Shifting Balance of Power in Eurasia

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

<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

Russia: Moscow Scraps Plans for Common Eurasian Financial Market

Russia: Senior General Killed in Moscow Bombing of Car

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Miami Peace Proposals

EU: Brussels Extends Sanctions on Russia for Further 6 Months

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Digs In on Maximalist Peace Terms Ahead of Miami Talks

EU, Ukraine: EU Loan for Ukraine Defers Use of Frozen Russian Assets

Ukraine, U.S.: Zelensky Signals Stalemate Ahead of Miami Talks

Turkey, Russia, U.S.: Erdogan Seeks To Return Russia's S-400 To Ease U.S. Sanctions

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