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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire from April 11-12, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would observe, Reuters reported on April 9.

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Announces Easter Ceasefire

Energy

Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian oil export infrastructure, including Baltic ports such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk, Bloomberg reported on April 7.

Russia, Ukraine: Kyiv Escalates Strikes on Russian Oil Infrastructure

Syria

Turkey

Economics

Over the weekend of April 3-5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, where the leaders agreed to expand security cooperation, including in defense, infrastructure and food security, Reuters reported on April 5. 

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had completely captured Ukraine's Luhansk region, Reuters reported on April 1.

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Claims It Seized All of Luhansk

United States

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal for an Easter pause in strikes on energy infrastructure, saying Russia had not seen a clearly formulated initiative, Reuters reported on March 31.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Energy Truce as Strikes Hit Oil Exports

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked leading businessmen to make large voluntary contributions to the state budget and reiterated that Russia would continue fighting Ukraine until it captured the remaining parts of the Donbas region, The Bell reported on March 27, citing people familiar with the matter.

Russia: Putin Turns to Oligarchs as War Costs Mount

Iran

Europe

The Pentagon is considering diverting air defense munitions originally intended for Ukraine to support U.S. operations in the Middle East, The Washington Post reported on March 26, citing sources familiar with internal deliberations.

Ukraine, U.S.: Pentagon Considers Diverting Ukraine-Bound Weapons

Ukrainian drones struck oil-product facilities at Russia's Ust-Luga Baltic port, damaging storage tanks and loading infrastructure and causing a fire, Bloomberg reported on March 25.

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Drones Strike Ust-Luga Oil Export Terminal

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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 

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The second quarter will test global resilience as lingering conflicts and energy shocks converge to heighten economic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility.

2026 Second-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

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.

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

U.S.-Iran Relations

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

China

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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

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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.

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

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United Arab Emirates

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

Russian soldiers wear chemical protection suits as they stand next to a military fueler on the base of a prime mover of Russian Topol intercontinental ballistic missile during a training session at the Serpukhov's military missile forces research institute some 100km outside Moscow on April 6, 2010.

Over time, this will intensify an ongoing buildup of nuclear capabilities across the globe and make crises involving nuclear powers more unpredictable and prone to miscalculations. 


Implications of the Last Major U.S.-Russian Nuclear Arms Control Agreement's Expiration

U.S.-China Relations

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

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Ukraine: Putin Announces Easter Ceasefire

Russia, Ukraine: Kyiv Escalates Strikes on Russian Oil Infrastructure

Ukraine, Turkey, Syria: Ukraine Takes Its War Expertise to Post-Assad Syria

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Claims It Seized All of Luhansk

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Dismisses Energy Truce as Strikes Hit Oil Exports

Russia: Putin Turns to Oligarchs as War Costs Mount

Ukraine, U.S.: Pentagon Considers Diverting Ukraine-Bound Weapons

Russia, Ukraine: Ukrainian Drones Strike Ust-Luga Oil Export Terminal

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