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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Shalanda Young, the director of the White House's Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson that the United States would be unable to continue providing weapons and equipment to Ukraine if Congress does not approve additional funding by the end of 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 4.

Ukraine, U.S.: White House Warns Money for Ukraine Will Run Out by End of 2023

Russia

Ukrainian and Western media attributed a Dec. 1 explosion on the bypass track of Russia's Chortov Bridge and a Nov. 29 explosion on the Severomuysky tunnel of the Baikal-Amur Mainline, or BAM, to Ukraine’s security service, Meduza reported on Dec. 1.

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Takes Credit for Dual Sabotage of BAM

Europe

The European Union presented member states with a framework to provide Ukraine with "lasting security commitments" that EU leaders will discuss in December, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 22.

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Prepares Framework for 'Lasting Security Commitments'

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and the commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhny, AP reported on Nov. 20.

Ukraine, U.S.: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Makes Unannounced Visit to Kyiv

Ukraine's troops secured multiple bridgeheads on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, one of Russia's most significant natural strategic barriers, AP reported on Nov. 17.

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Claims Multiple Bridgeheads Across the Dnieper

Hungary

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he is opposed to a new EU package of financial aid for Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 10.

EU, Hungary, Ukraine: Budapest Confirms Opposition to New EU Funding to Ukraine

Moldova

The European Commission recommended opening accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova once they adopted certain key measures, Reuters reported on Nov. 8.

EU: European Commission Recommends Beginning Accession Negotiations for Ukraine, Moldova

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed reports that his office was increasingly considering holding the country's presidential election as scheduled in March 2024, Reuters reported on Nov. 6.

Ukraine: Zelensky Appears to Reject Holding 2024 Presidential Election

Assessments

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (left) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (right) hold a joint press conference on Nov. 4, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Western policymakers' concerns about whether to keep funding the nearly two-year war in Ukraine will likely grow ahead of upcoming U.S. and EU elections, which for Kyiv, may translate to fewer resources and greater pressure to ink a peace deal with Moscow.

Ukraine Grapples With the Prospect Waning Western Support

Israel

Jordan

Palestinian Territories

Australia

China

Georgia

India

U..S Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Oct. 14, 2023, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Arab counterparts Nov. 4 in the Jordanian capital in a bid to garner regional support for U.S. policies in the Israel-Hamas war.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Blinken Meets Arab Ministers, State Assembly Elections in India

Snapshots

Germany

Denmark

Greece

France

Sweden

Belgium

Spain

Italy

Israeli and EU Flags

A lack of a unified EU response to the Israel-Hamas War highlights divisions among member states' foreign policies, complicating the bloc's plans to play a meaningful role in the conflict, as well as efforts to maintain unified support for Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas War Highlights Divisions Among EU Member States

South Africa

Iran

Pakistan

Israeli tanks on the border with Lebanon on Oct. 26, 2023, in Israel amid the ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Energy

The Weekly Rundown: A Possible Middle Eastern Escalation, an IMF Team Visits Pakistan

People in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, stand near a residential building that was damaged in fighting with Russian troops, as rescuers conduct a search and rescue operation, on Oct. 18, 2023.

The Gaza conflict risks reducing Kyiv's ability to resist Moscow's ongoing invasion by increasing competition for -- and political infighting over -- Western financial and military aid. 

How Might the Israel-Hamas War Impact Ukraine's Fight Against Russia?

Columns

On Geopolitics

Sub-Saharan Africa

Turkey

Taiwan

North Macedonia

Belarus

An old map labels African countries and regions by their colonial names.

Shifting national identities have always led nations to adopt new names, and in this evolving multipolar world, modern states are no different.

National Identity and the Geopolitics of Choosing a Name

Saudi Arabia

Indonesia

A door at the U.N. headquarters Sept. 15, 2023, in New York ahead of the 78th session of the General Assembly. The 78th U.N. General Assembly will occur Sept. 18-26 against a backdrop of deepening global divisions.

The Weekly Rundown: The U.N. General Assembly, Zelensky's U.S. Visit

A ship transiting Ukrainian grain is seen off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, on July 17, 2023, after Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea grain export deal.

If high food prices continue to harm its political popularity at home, Ankara may become more confrontational with Moscow over its blockade of Ukrainian wheat exports. 

What Russia's Refusal to Restore the Ukraine Grain Deal Means for Its Ties With Turkey 

Kenya

Vehicles drive past the logo of the G-20 Summit on Aug. 10, 2023, in New Delhi.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The Weekly Rundown: The Africa Climate Summit, the G-20 Summit in New Delhi

Lithuania

Latvia

Poland

A woman sits by the entrance to the GUM department store in central Minsk on February 14, 2023.

Though Belarus is showing economic recovery in the short term, a number of structural issues will undermine its long-term growth prospects.

Belarus' Tentative Recovery Won’t Ensure Future Growth -– Or Kick-Start the Opposition

Rescuers use a crane to dismantle the rubble of a building destroyed by a Russian shelling on Aug. 8, 2023, in Pokrovsk, Ukraine. 

Western governments are considering paying for Ukraine's reconstruction with the Russian central bank assets they froze in Feb. 2022, which would have myriad legal, economic and strategic consequences.

The Implications of Using Frozen Russian Assets To Rebuild Ukraine

Niger

Brazil

Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will host a summit on the Amazon on Aug. 7-8 in an effort to draft a common policy for the first time ever for countries with territory in the Amazon rainforest.

The Weekly Rundown: Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia, Brazil Hosts an Amazon Summit

<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

Ukraine, U.S.: White House Warns Money for Ukraine Will Run Out by End of 2023

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Takes Credit for Dual Sabotage of BAM

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Prepares Framework for 'Lasting Security Commitments'

Ukraine, U.S.: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Makes Unannounced Visit to Kyiv

Ukraine, Russia: Kyiv Claims Multiple Bridgeheads Across the Dnieper

EU, Hungary, Ukraine: Budapest Confirms Opposition to New EU Funding to Ukraine

EU: European Commission Recommends Beginning Accession Negotiations for Ukraine, Moldova

Ukraine: Zelensky Appears to Reject Holding 2024 Presidential Election

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