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As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox.

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Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Jan 27, 2020

Is Putin preparing a new Ukraine strategy?

By Anders Åslund

The departure of Vladimir Putin's gray cardinal Vladislav Surkov and his replacement as Ukraine policy curator by Dmitry Kozak has led to speculation that Russia could be planning a change in its Ukraine strategy.

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 24, 2020

Rumors of Ukraine’s death on Capitol Hill are greatly exaggerated

By John E. Herbst

Ukraine's role at the heart of the Trump impeachment process has raised concerns that bipartisan support for the country could suffer but John E. Herbst argues that US backing for Ukraine remains strong.

Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 23, 2020

Ukraine’s economic target: From stabilization to growth

By Vladislav Inozemtsev

Ukraine has staged a strong economic recovery over the past few years but the question in 2020 is whether the new Zelenskyy government can lead the country's economy from stabilization to sustainable growth.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2020

Ukraine can feed Brexit Britain

By Bate C. Toms

The UK is Europe's biggest food importer and Ukraine is one of the continent's top agricultural producers. This makes a post-Brexit free trade deal a potentially big win for both countries.

Trade and tariffs Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2020

Bipartisan US support for Ukraine at risk as Republicans echo Kremlin

By Steven Pifer

Republicans seeking to defend President Trump have taken to accusing Ukraine of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. This echoes Kremlin talking points and puts longstanding bipartisan US support for Ukraine at risk, says former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer.

Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 21, 2020

Ukraine’s top five 2020 reform priorities

By Ilona Sologoub

The Zelenskyy government has outlined an ambitious reform agenda for 2020 but will they live up to the expectations of an electorate hungry for change? These five key reform areas will give a good indication of the new government's reformist credentials.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2020

A frozen conflict may be Ukraine’s best option

By James Brooke

Many hoped President Zelenskyy's April 2019 election could break the deadlock in peace talks with Russia. However, it now looks like the best Ukraine can expect is a transition from hot war to frozen conflict. That may not be such a bad outcome, argues James Brooke.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2020

Is Belarus Putin’s next target?

By Diane Francis

Vladimir Putin has been turning up the pressure on Belarus in recent months as Moscow seeks to move forward with plans to merge the country into a so-called Union State with Russia, but Minsk is proving evasive. Will Belarus be the scene of Putin's next big foreign policy adventure?

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 16, 2020

Startup culture in a frontline city

By Diane Francis

1991 Mariupol is a new startup hub located a stone's throw away from the frontlines of Ukraine's undeclared war with Russia. Can tech innovation create opportunities for young Ukrainians facing an uncertain future due to Kremlin aggression?

Education Technology & Innovation

UkraineAlert

Jan 16, 2020

Think again

By John E. Herbst

In a recent National Interest article, George Beebe dismisses US policy on Ukraine as “steeped in illusions” and argues for a “sensible alternative.” It is a nice try, but what he comes up with does not pass muster.

Conflict NATO

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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2019

Why do so few presidential candidates support NATO and EU membership?

By Taras Kuzio

Out of forty-two candidates who are running for president in the Ukrainian elections on March 31, only eleven support NATO and EU membership. This represents a lower proportion of supporters than the over 300 deputies who voted on three occasions to change the constitution to include those two goals. Batkivshchina (Fatherland) party and the Radical […]

Defense Policy Elections

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2019

Who is ready to lead Ukraine?

By Kostiantyn Romashko

It’s election season in Ukraine. While there are forty-two candidates officially registered, the competition, according to recent polls, comes down to three: incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and newcomer and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In January, UkraineAlert examined the foreign policy views of the five leading candidates. Now we narrow the focus […]

Defense Policy Elections

UkraineAlert

Mar 1, 2019

No good deed goes unpunished in Ukraine

By Olena Halushka and Olena Shcherban

Ukraine is in danger of backsliding, big time, and few people realize just how serious it is. This week, the Constitutional Court eliminated a law which made corrupt officials liable for illicit enrichment. This will immediately result in the closure of sixty-five high-profile criminal cases. The court decision may jeopardize Ukraine’s relations with international institutions. […]

Corruption Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Feb 28, 2019

Why Poroshenko doesn’t deserve a second term

By Diane Francis

Ukraine needs a change. The latest scandal, involving allegations of massive profiteering from the war against Russia by well-connected Ukrainians, proves the need for a new leader in the upcoming presidential election. Allegations are that the son of a close business partner of President Petro Poroshenko sold smuggled Russian parts to Ukrainian defense factories at […]

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Feb 28, 2019

Q&A: Will scandal sink Poroshenko’s second term chances?

By Melinda Haring

On February 25, investigative journalists accused President Petro Poroshenko’s close associates of getting rich by smuggling spare parts for military equipment from Russia. The Bihus.Info report claims that the son of Oleh Hladkovskiy, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, was the mastermind behind a scheme to buy spare parts from Russia in 2015. […]

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Feb 28, 2019

Which Ukrainians will lose most if Zelenskiy becomes president?

By Alexander J. Motyl

It goes without saying that all Ukrainians will be losers if and when a dreadfully inexperienced and politically ignorant comedian takes charge of Ukraine’s ship of state. As the economy goes into a tailspin, corruption flourishes, and Russian President Vladimir Putin bares his teeth, all Ukrainians will be far worse off than they are today. […]

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Feb 28, 2019

Ukraine’s athletes shine through national gloom

By Mark Temnycky

Five years after the Euromaidan, most analysis of Ukraine is grim. It tends to focus on the patchy reforms that have been put in place, the country’s endemic corruption, the ongoing war in its east, and the current unpredictable presidential election campaign. Hardly any of the coverage is positive. But that’s not the full picture. […]

Civil Society Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Feb 27, 2019

The Eurovision guide to modern Ukrainian history

By Peter Dickinson

Anyone who feels that Eurovision has become too politicized need look no further than Ukraine for confirmation. Nobody takes the song contest quite as seriously as the Ukrainians, who treat it as an extension of foreign policy complete with furious nationwide debates and heavy-handed government interventions. The latest scandal, which has seen the winner of […]

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2019

The Audacity of Ulana Suprun

By Yuri Polakiwsky

There was a distinct sense of the theatrical inside and outside Kyiv’s Administrative Court #2 earlier this month as it decided the fate of Dr. Ulana Suprun, Ukraine’s acting minister of health. Leaving the proceedings, one was left with at least two seemingly absurd questions: what was this showdown all about and why was an […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 22, 2019

Is the Ukrainian Army Worthy of Greater Investment?

By Dennis Soltys

Last year Washington finally gave Kyiv the javelin missiles it had been begging for. But the javelins are mostly symbolic and won’t change much on the frontlines. For more than six months, Washington has been talking about giving Ukraine additional arms to improve its air and naval defenses. These arms are more likely after Russian […]

Russia Ukraine