Iran

Jordan

Kuwait

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Ukraine

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Ukraine deployed military specialists and interception units to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan to help protect critical and civilian infrastructure from Iranian drone attacks, Reuters reported on March 20.

Ukraine, MENA: Kyiv Deploys Counter-Drone Units to the Middle East

Europe

Hungary

Economics

Politics

At a European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, Hungary refused to lift its veto on a 90 billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan package intended to support Ukraine's government finances and war effort, despite strong pressure from other leaders, Euronews reported on March 19.

Hungary, EU: Hungary Vetoes EU Loan Package for Ukraine

Russia

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said no region in Russia is safe from Ukrainian drone strikes, Interfax reported on March 17. 

Russia, Ukraine: Shoigu Warns No Russian Region Is Safe From Ukrainian Drone Strikes 

Belgium

Energy

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the European Union should normalize relations with Russia to restore access to cheaper energy, according to a March 14 interview with L'Echo.

Belgium, Russia: Belgian Prime Minister Calls for EU Normalization With Moscow, Renewed Energy Trade

United States

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the 2022 Istanbul agreements on Ukraine "no longer correspond to the current situation" and that "the reality has changed," Russian state news agency TASS reported on March 11. 

Russia, Ukraine, U.S.: Kremlin Hardens Negotiating Line as Patriot Stocks Face Strain

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had a "very good call" with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Ukraine and the Iran conflict and is considering easing certain oil sanctions on Russia to help cool surging energy prices, Reuters reported on March 9.

U.S., Russia, Iran: Trump Weighs Easing Russian Oil Sanctions After Call With Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to share Ukraine's expertise in countering Iranian Shahed drones with the United States and Gulf partners in exchange for additional Patriot missiles and interceptors, Bloomberg reported on March 5.

Ukraine, U.S.: Kyiv Offers Drone Expertise for Patriot Missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin called a drone attack on the Russian-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean a "terrorist attack," Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on March 4.

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Calls LNG Tanker Strike Terrorism, Floats Gas Cutoff to Europe

Assessments

Israel

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.

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

China

Japan

A large plume of smoke rises March 7 over Tehran after explosions were reported in the Iranian capital during the night.

The Weekly Rundown: The Iran War Continues, Takaichi Meets With Trump

A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a truck equipped with a machine gun during an air raid alert in Kyiv on Jan. 24, 2026, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Russia's ability to sustain its war efforts despite mounting economic strain, combined with the U.S.'s new focus on Iran, makes meaningful progress in peace talks unlikely anytime soon.

Ukraine War Enters Its Fifth Year, With No Near End in Sight

City authorities and businesses rebuild residential buildings damaged by Russian shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on July 12, 2023.

While European governments can fund Ukraine's war effort this year and next, securing the investment needed to rebuild damaged infrastructure will face significant political, economic and structural hurdles.

The Challenge of Rebuilding Ukraine's Economy

Columns

On Geopolitics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference at the European Commission's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Aug. 17, 2025.

Despite its strategic imperative to secure Ukraine's Western alignment, the EU remains unlikely to grant the country full or partial membership anytime soon due to numerous challenges, with the ongoing war being chief among them.

To Keep the Promise of Ukraine's Accession Alive, the EU Mulls Alternative Options

Palestinian Territories

Indonesia

Vietnam

Slovakia

India

U.S. President Donald Trump (C) holds up his signature on the founding charter of the Board of Peace among other world leaders at the World Economic Forum on Jan. 22 in Davos, Switzerland.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: The Board of Peace Convenes, Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks in Geneva

Snapshots

Emirati flags on Feb. 4 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. On Feb. 4-5, delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States held a second round of trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.

The talks are unlikely to produce a near-term settlement, as Russia will continue to press its territorial demands while using diplomacy to manage sanctions pressure and build leverage ahead of a spring-summer offensive.

The Limits of Russia-Ukraine-U.S. Talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a meeting with European national security advisors in Kyiv on Jan. 3, 2026. 

The reshuffle seeks to strengthen Zelensky's negotiating position and mitigate the political fallout from a likely unfavorable peace deal amid weakening Western support and Russia's continued battlefield advances.

Ukraine's Government Reshuffle Signals Preparation for a Tough Peace Deal

Greenland

Switzerland

A sniper police officer on the Congress hotel during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 2025, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland.

The Weekly Rundown: Davos, Europe Steps Up Greenland Deployments

Nigeria

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Taiwan

Norway

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

Social Issues

U.S.-China Relations

Science & Technology

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

Media

Forecast Webcast

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

2026 Annual Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

Yemen

North Korea

South Korea

A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet takes off from Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport on December 15, 2025 in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. If U.S. strikes escalate and cause significant casualties, it could make retaliatory measures -- including the arbitrary detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela or the harassment of energy sector vessels in the region -- more likely.

The Weekly Rundown: South Korea's President Visits Beijing, U.S. Operations in Venezuela

<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, MENA: Kyiv Deploys Counter-Drone Units to the Middle East

Hungary, EU: Hungary Vetoes EU Loan Package for Ukraine

Russia, Ukraine: Shoigu Warns No Russian Region Is Safe From Ukrainian Drone Strikes

Belgium, Russia: Belgian Prime Minister Calls for EU Normalization With Moscow, Renewed Energy Trade

Russia, Ukraine, U.S.: Kremlin Hardens Negotiating Line as Patriot Stocks Face Strain

U.S., Russia, Iran: Trump Weighs Easing Russian Oil Sanctions After Call With Putin

Ukraine, U.S.: Kyiv Offers Drone Expertise for Patriot Missiles

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Calls LNG Tanker Strike Terrorism, Floats Gas Cutoff to Europe

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