Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russia's defense ministry released video footage it said showed a downed Ukrainian drone linked to an alleged attempt to strike a presidential residence near Valdai in Russia's Novgorod region, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 31.

Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Releases Purported Video Evidence of Claimed Attack on Putin's Residence

United States

Politics

Russia accused Ukraine of attempting to attack a presidential residence near Valdai in the Novgorod region with long-range drones, an allegation Kyiv denied as fabricated, Reuters reported on Dec. 30.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Signals Tougher Negotiating Posture After Alleged Drone Attack

Europe

Estonia

Cyber

Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service Director General Kaupo Rosin said in an interview with ERR on Dec. 29 that there is currently no indication Russia intends to attack the Baltic states or NATO and that Moscow appears to be scaling back provocations to avoid escalation.

Europe, Russia: Estonian Intelligence Sees No Immediate Russian Attack Risk to Baltics

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Dec. 28 to discuss the most sensitive elements of Washington's 20-point peace framework for Russia and Ukraine, including territorial questions and security guarantees for Ukraine, Reuters reported Dec. 26.

U.S., Ukraine: Zelensky To Meet Trump for Talks on U.S. Peace Framework

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly outlined the 20 points of Ukraine's draft peace plan, RBC-Ukraine reported on Dec. 24.

Ukraine: Zelensky Details 20-Point Peace Plan, Eyes Conditional Referendum

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia, that substantial and positive changes are underway in the South Caucasus, citing resumed rail transit through Azerbaijan and a new agenda to restore key railway segments connecting Armenia with Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenpress reported Dec. 22.

Armenia, Russia: Leaders Tout Transport Links Amid Regional Geopolitical Shifts

Madagascar

Russia has delivered an arms shipment to Madagascar's military government, Bloomberg reported Dec. 22.

Madagascar: Russia Delivers Weapons Shipment to New Junta 

Uzbekistan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Economics

Leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union on Dec. 21 approved a "differentiated" framework for a common financial market and initiated customs data exchange negotiations with Uzbekistan during the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Russia: Moscow Scraps Plans for Common Eurasian Financial Market

Assessments

Benin

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

Canada

Paraguay

Venezuela

Egypt

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

Australia

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Bulgaria

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Snapshots

Eurasia

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 28, 2025.

While the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents have narrowed their differences on a 20-point peace framework, the Kremlin's insistence on full control of the Donbas complicates the prospects of a negotiated deal.

Ukraine Peace Deal Still Elusive Despite Trump-Zelensky Talks

Central African Republic

Guinea

Cyprus

Kosovo

The Bulgarian flag and the European flag waving in the wind.

Energy

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

The Weekly Rundown: Bulgaria Adopts the Euro, U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Persist

A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II on Dec. 15 taxis at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.

The Weekly Rundown: French Budget Deadlock, U.S.-Russia Talks in Miami

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Global Trade

Despite growing interest from Russia, China and Western powers, Central Asia will struggle to emerge as a true continental trade hub due to competing agendas, weak financing and coordination, and security and governance issues.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Central Asia's Struggle for Logistics Sovereignty

A stock photo shows banknotes of the Russian ruble. 

The European Union using immobilized Russian assets to fund financial support for Ukraine will probably not have major reputational or financial consequences for the eurozone.


Using Frozen Russian Assets To Fund Ukraine Unlikely To Majorly Impact the Euro

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, meets with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025.

Fundamental disagreements between Ukraine and Russia over territorial concessions and security guarantees suggest that peace negotiations are unlikely to lead to a comprehensive breakthrough.

Despite U.S. Diplomatic Push, Ukraine Peace Still a Long Way Off

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025.

While Putin's Dec. 4-5 visit may yield some progress in defense, energy and trade cooperation, India will likely maintain selective engagement with Russia as it navigates U.S. pressure and continues diversifying its arms suppliers.

What To Expect as Putin Visits India

Honduras

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their bilateral meeting during the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin-Modi Meeting, Honduras General Election

Columns

A Ukrainian serviceman from the 24th mechanized brigade prepares a Magura night drone to flight toward the front line in the area of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region late on April 29, 2025.

Ukraine's success in using cheap drones against Russia reveals how smaller states can leverage accessible technologies to impose disproportionate and sustained costs on a materially superior adversary.

Drones Are Redefining Asymmetric Warfare

Smoke rises in the background as a Ukrainian flag flutters in the wind following a mass overnight Russian drone and missile attacks, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Nov. 19, 2025. 

European efforts to adjust core elements of Trump's plan won't shield Ukraine from his latest threat to withdraw support, and Europe's limited leverage and internal constraints mean it is unlikely to sustain Kyiv's defense alone if talks with the White House fail.

What To Make of Europe's Counterproposal to the U.S. Ukraine Peace Plan

Angola

South Africa

United Kingdom

Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

The Weekly Rundown: A High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

<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, Ukraine: Moscow Releases Purported Video Evidence of Claimed Attack on Putin's Residence

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Signals Tougher Negotiating Posture After Alleged Drone Attack

Europe, Russia: Estonian Intelligence Sees No Immediate Russian Attack Risk to Baltics

U.S., Ukraine: Zelensky To Meet Trump for Talks on U.S. Peace Framework

Ukraine: Zelensky Details 20-Point Peace Plan, Eyes Conditional Referendum

Armenia, Russia: Leaders Tout Transport Links Amid Regional Geopolitical Shifts

Madagascar: Russia Delivers Weapons Shipment to New Junta

Russia: Moscow Scraps Plans for Common Eurasian Financial Market

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support