China

Russia

Energy

Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on May 19-20 to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, Ria Novosti reported on May 18, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Russia, China: Putin To Discuss Power of Siberia 2 During China Visit

Ukraine

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow since March 2025 on May 17, killing at least three people in the Moscow region, Reuters reported the same day. 

Russia, Ukraine: Ukraine's Drone Barrage Pierces Moscow's Shield

Iran

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Economics

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the informal Organization of Turkic States summit in Turkestan, Kazakhstan, where he proposed new cooperation on artificial intelligence centers, cybersecurity, digital signatures, space, cultural heritage and Turkic terminology, while rejecting claims that the OTS was a military alliance, KazTAG reported on May 15.

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Says OTS Is Not a Military Bloc as Turkic Ties Deepen

Armenia

The pro-Kremlin Matryoshka bot network has published hundreds of fake videos targeting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of the June 7 parliamentary election, including narratives claiming that Pashinyan is preparing Armenia for war with Russia, Meduza reported on May 14.

Armenia, Russia: Kremlin Influence Campaign Targets Pashinyan Ahead of Vote

Afghanistan

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Moscow was building "pragmatic" and "full-fledged" relations with the Afghan Taliban, "ranging from political and security contacts to trade, economic, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation," The Moscow Times reported on May 14.

Russia, Afghanistan: Moscow Says It Is Building 'Pragmatic,' 'Full-Fledged' Relations With Afghanistan

Turkey

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a declaration on eternal friendship and expanded strategic partnership during Erdogan's state visit to Kazakhstan, Qazinform reported on May 14. 

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Drone Deal Gives Ankara Larger Defense Role in Central Asia

Russia carried out one of its heaviest aerial attacks against Ukraine since the war began in 2022, targeting Kyiv and multiple other regions with large waves of drones and missiles, Interfax-Ukraine reported on May 14.

Russia, Ukraine: Record Russian Air Assault Shows No End to War Is in Sight

United States

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must order Ukraine's armed forces to stop firing and leave the Donbas and other Russian-claimed regions before Moscow and Kyiv can enter peace talks, Kommersant reported on May 13.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Bets on More Donbas Gains Before Serious Talks

Assessments

Europe

EU and Ukrainian flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters on Feb. 23, 2025, in Brussels, Belgium.

While a European mediator may unblock frozen peace talks, a durable peace settlement remains unlikely until both Russia and Ukraine conclude that continued war is more costly than compromise.

The Limited Promise of EU Mediation in Ukraine Peace Talks

Mexico

Japan

South Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Middle East, Putin Heads to Beijing

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

India

Pakistan

Afghan protesters burn a Pakistani flag during a demonstration in Helmand Province in 2016.

Gains from the Afghan Taliban's growing regional ties will be hindered by enduring disputes, logistical constraints, infrastructure security risks, and Pakistan's possible absence from future multilateral engagements.

How the Afghan-Pakistani Conflict Is Redrawing Regional Relations

Snapshots

Russian officers patrol central Moscow on May 5, 2026, in front of the Kremlin, a few days ahead of the Victory Day military parade, to be held at Red Square on May 9. 

While Ukraine is unlikely to attack Moscow during the May 9 parade, its expanding long-range strike capabilities will steadily increase the war's political, economic and psychological toll on Russia ahead of the September elections.

Ukrainian Strikes Put Russia on Edge Ahead of Victory Day Parade

An aerial view shows the Kazakh village of Ulken (foreground), where the country's first nuclear power plant is set to be built, on Sept. 22, 2024.

Kazakhstan will seek to balance its reliance on Russia to build its first nuclear plant by partnering with China on subsequent projects and by leveraging new mining laws to extract downstream technology from foreign partners.

Kazakhstan's Strategy to Control Its Nuclear Future Amid Russian Leverage

Vietnam

Employees walk at the construction site of a gas metering station, part of the pipeline link between Bulgaria and Greece near the village of Malko Kadievo, on March 18, 2022. 

The Weekly Rundown: No U.S.-Iran Breakthrough, EU Ban on Spot Market Russian LNG

Russian President Vladimir Putin (center) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) hold talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 1, 2026.

Russia is actively calibrating pressure on Armenia to derail its pro-EU course, as the Iran war temporarily impedes Yerevan's push to reduce its reliance on Russia-linked trade corridors.

Armenia's Push for Autonomy Meets Russian Resistance

Lithuania

Latvia

Estonia

Eurasia

A soldier from the "Taifun" unmanned aerial vehicle unit prepares a new strike drone for flight on April 7, 2026 in Ukraine. 

Although Moscow is threatening retaliation against Baltic states over supposed involvement in Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, the Kremlin will not risk a direct military confrontation with NATO.


Direct NATO-Russia Confrontation in the Baltic Unlikely, Despite Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy Infrastructure 

Cuba

Israel

People on March 15 in Tehran, Iran, clean up rubble from a missile attack. The Iran war will almost certainly continue through the next week amid Israeli threats to escalate and expand strikes due to Iranian attacks targeting Israeli civilians and the U.S. deployment of additional military assets to the region.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, a European Parliament Delegation Visits China

Denmark

France

Italy

The European Parliament building in 2019 in Strasbourg, France. Parliament is set to hold a plenary vote March 26 on implementing the 2025 EU‑U.S. trade framework agreement.

The Weekly Rundown: A Vote on the EU‑U.S. Trade Framework, the Iran Conflict Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting in Moscow on the global oil and gas market situation on March 9, 2026.

The current surge in demand for Russian oil will likely be short-lived, but weaker sanctions enforcement and higher energy prices could nonetheless buoy Moscow's capacity to fund its war in Ukraine.

In Twist of Fate, Russia Gets a Boost From Iran-Related Oil Shocks

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the Ninth Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 22, 2026. 

Kim Jong Un's latest directives suggest a willingness to pursue high-level negotiations with the United States and China in pursuit of critical economic concessions.

North Korea's Party Congress Points to Diplomatic Window of Opportunity

<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, China: Putin To Discuss Power of Siberia 2 During China Visit

Russia, Ukraine: Ukraine's Drone Barrage Pierces Moscow's Shield

Kazakhstan: Tokayev Says OTS Is Not a Military Bloc as Turkic Ties Deepen

Armenia, Russia: Kremlin Influence Campaign Targets Pashinyan Ahead of Vote

Russia, Afghanistan: Moscow Says It Is Building 'Pragmatic,' 'Full-Fledged' Relations With Afghanistan

Kazakhstan, Turkey: Drone Deal Gives Ankara Larger Defense Role in Central Asia

Russia, Ukraine: Record Russian Air Assault Shows No End to War Is in Sight

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Bets on More Donbas Gains Before Serious Talks

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