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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has nearly exhausted major sanctions options against Russia after targeting its largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in October, Politico reported on Nov. 13. 

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Rubio Says Sanctions Near Limit as Russian Forces Advance in Pokrovsk

Military & Security

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly demanded the resignations of his justice and energy ministers amid a sprawling corruption investigation, leading Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk to tender her resignation, Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported on Nov. 12.

Ukraine: Zelensky Forces Top Resignations Amid Energy Graft Scandal

In a wide-ranging interview to Russian media, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow had not announced or prepared any nuclear weapons tests, denying that it is following Washington's lead after U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about restarting U.S. testing, the Russian foreign ministry published on Nov. 12.

Russia: Lavrov Reemerges To Distance Moscow From Nuclear Escalation Talk

Russia fired hundreds of drones and over 30 hard-to-intercept ballistic and cluster munitions, destroying Ukraine's thermal power generation and targeting substations supplying its nuclear plants, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Nov. 10.

Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine Seeks IAEA Action After Russian Strikes Cripple Power Grid

Europe

The European Union approved a new 1.35 billion euro ($1.42 billion) aid payment to Ukraine as part of its ongoing support package, Politico reported on Nov. 4.

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Approves New Aid but Signals Tougher Line on Ukraine's Reform and Accession Track

Ukrainian security agents arrested Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, a former chief of Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned national grid operator, in Lviv province on Oct. 28 on embezzlement charges, The Kyiv Independent reported on Oct. 31.

Ukraine: Arrest of Former Energy Executive Heightens Concerns Over Zelensky's 'Lawfare'

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that Russian forces have fired the Novator 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, once banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, 23 times since August, Reuters reported on Oct. 31.

Russia, Ukraine: Russia Uses Novator Cruise Missile Against Ukraine, Marking Dangerous Escalation

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow successfully tested the Poseidon nuclear-powered undersea torpedo, calling it a "huge success," Reuters reported on Oct. 29.

Russia: Putin Touts Nuclear-Powered Torpedo 'Test' as U.S.-Russia Diplomacy Falters

Assessments

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

Venezuela

Spain

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Tanks on Sept. 23 in Caracas, Venezuela. The Trump administration has reportedly decided to attack military sites in Venezuela in strikes that could occur at any moment.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Potential U.S. Strikes in Venezuela, U.S. Outreach in Central Asia

Columns

On Geopolitics

China

Germany

Slovakia

Hungary

European Council President Antonio Costa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a meeting of the European Council on Oct. 23. The EU pursuit of geopolitical independence is being severely tested by Russia's direct security aggression, China's control over critical raw materials and competing economic pressures from the United States.

The EU pursuit of geopolitical independence is being severely tested by Russia's direct security aggression, China's control over critical raw materials and competing economic pressures from the United States.

Europe's Dual Challenge From China and Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) attends a lunch meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump (R) at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump suggest a significant U.S. pivot toward a negotiated settlement in Ukraine that prioritizes freezing the conflict and may involve territorial concessions favorable to Moscow.

Trump Signals Shift Toward Russian Position on Ukraine Ahead of Putin Meeting

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Australia

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15, 2025, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Delegations from the United States and Russia, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, respectively, will meet this week to resume conversations about their countries' bilateral relationship and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Russian Delegations Meet, a Still-Fragile Hamas-Israel Ceasefire 

Russian flag on a cracked wall, illustrating an economic decline with a downward arrow. 

Despite high consumer confidence, underlying economic indicators show a significant contraction in non-defense industrial production, slowing consumption and falling investment, signaling that the Kremlin's war economy is steadily deteriorating.

Russia's War Economy Is Faltering

Denmark

Moldova

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

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

Guyana

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.

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

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

<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

U.S., Russia, Ukraine: Rubio Says Sanctions Near Limit as Russian Forces Advance in Pokrovsk

Ukraine: Zelensky Forces Top Resignations Amid Energy Graft Scandal

Russia: Lavrov Reemerges To Distance Moscow From Nuclear Escalation Talk

Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine Seeks IAEA Action After Russian Strikes Cripple Power Grid

Ukraine, EU: Bloc Approves New Aid but Signals Tougher Line on Ukraine's Reform and Accession Track

Ukraine: Arrest of Former Energy Executive Heightens Concerns Over Zelensky's 'Lawfare'

Russia, Ukraine: Russia Uses Novator Cruise Missile Against Ukraine, Marking Dangerous Escalation

Russia: Putin Touts Nuclear-Powered Torpedo 'Test' as U.S.-Russia Diplomacy Falters

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