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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.


editor’s picks

Latest analysis


UkraineAlert

Dec 24, 2019

Ukraine’s government must not undermine growing business optimism in 2020

By
Andy Hunder

88% of Ukraine's American Chamber of Commerce member companies reported increased revenues in 2019. However, concerns remain that the Ukrainian authorities could yet spoil this positive picture during the coming year.


Corruption


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Dec 22, 2019

Trump blocks Putin’s pipeline with US sanctions

By
Diane Francis

Only weeks away from completion, new US sanctions force Nord Stream 2 contractor to down tools, placing the pipeline's future in jeopardy.


Geopolitics & Energy Security


Oil and Gas


UkraineAlert

Dec 19, 2019

Putin’s Russia is stagnating but there will be no “Moscow Maidan”

By
Dennis Soltys

The Russian economy is facing stagnation and domestic discontent is on the rise, but the strengths of Putin's authoritarian system mean Ukrainians should not expect a repeat of their own Maidan movement in Moscow anytime soon.


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Dec 19, 2019

Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev: “The likelihood of Russia helping us is zero”

By
Diane Francis

Andriy Kobolyev took over the reins of Ukraine’s energy giant Naftogaz during the country's darkest hour in March 2014. Despite huge progress, he continues to face political opposition at home and an array of international challenges courtesy of the Kremlin.


European Union


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Dec 19, 2019

Putin’s imperial ambitions mean Ukraine must learn to live with frozen conflict

By
Taras Kuzio

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says he will make painful concessions to achieve peace with Russia, but Putin's vision of Ukraine as part of Russia's historic heartlands means there is little room for compromise.


Conflict


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Dec 17, 2019

Paris impasse: Time for Zelenskyy to get real about Russia

By
Oleksiy Goncharenko

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's long-awaited first meeting with Vladimir Putin failed to provide a breakthrough towards peace, leading to calls for more realism in relations with Russia.


Conflict


Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


UkraineAlert

Dec 17, 2019

Mr. Kuleba comes to Washington

By
Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s Deputy PM Dmytro Kuleba visited Washington, DC, last week to reassure the US government that President Zelenskyy’s team remains committed to the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration.


Democratic Transitions


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Dec 12, 2019

Lost in translation: Different interpretations of Paris peace talks spell trouble ahead

By
Petro Burkovskyi

The diverging visions for a future peace settlement in Ukraine were on full display in Paris this week as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met for the first time. These differences were also evident in minor discrepancies that appeared in the Ukrainian and Russian language versions of the summit conclusions.


Conflict


Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


UkraineAlert

Dec 12, 2019

European integration is taking root across Ukraine despite Russia’s best efforts

By
Alyona Getmanchuk

A new nationwide study has highlighted the progress made across Ukraine towards greater European integration as the country seeks to move closer to the rest of Europe despite Russian efforts to derail the process and reassert its dominant position.


European Union


Eurozone


UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2019

Russia-Ukraine Paris peace talks: The view from Berlin

By
Mattia Nelles

Monday’s Normandy Four summit in the French capital saw German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron sitting down with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin in a bid to end years of deadly stalemate and bring to an end the undeclared war between Russia and Ukraine in the Donbas. What kind of impression did the long-awaited Paris summit make in Berlin?


Conflict


Germany

spotlight

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.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Jan 25, 2017

How to Trump-Proof Sanctions on Russia

By Alina Polyakova

US President Donald J. Trump has said he is open to ending sanctions on Russia in exchange for a nuclear arms reduction deal with the Kremlin. “[L]et’s see if we can get some good deals with Russia,” he said. Trump has the authority to reverse sanctions because the Obama administration used executive orders to mandate […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 23, 2017

Beat Back Russia and Stand with Ukraine, Biden Urges at Davos

By Diane Francis

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s last official speech was delivered January 18 in Davos at the World Economic Forum. It was a tour de force summoning leaders to protect the “liberal international order” against China, Iran, Russia, and others bent on destroying it. “This movement is principally led by Russia, working with every tool to […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 23, 2017

American-Born Doctor Takes on Ukraine’s Health Care System

By Melinda Haring

Ulana Suprun is a woman on a mission. The 53-year-old radiologist from New York who was appointed Ukraine’s Acting Minister of Health in July is determined to shake up Ukraine’s sclerotic health care system. “The changes that we are making in Ukraine’s health care sector are breaking the old rules and establishing new standards,” Suprun […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 18, 2017

How Far Will Putin Dare to Go in 2017?

By Peter Dickinson

From Brexit to Trump, 2016 was the year fake news became headline news. In Ukraine, however, it was old news. Ukrainians are living through the third winter of an ongoing hybrid war with Russia, a conflict driven to a remarkable degree by fake news. But fake news is only one of the many hybrid war […]

Central Europe Germany

UkraineAlert

Jan 18, 2017

Break the Caucasian Chalk Circle

By Alexandra Hall Hall

As hopes fade that President-elect Donald Trump will take a stronger line on Russia than candidate Trump, and worries grow about his commitment to key Euro-Atlantic institutions such as the EU and NATO, it is not just small countries on the fringe of Europe, like Georgia, whose future is at stake. It is time for […]

Russia The Caucasus

UkraineAlert

Jan 16, 2017

Ukraine Versus China: The Fight for Europe’s Market

By James Brooke

In this week of pre-Trump nervousness, three expats—one American and two Brits—are doing what may seem counterintuitive: launching the Ukraine Business Journal in Kyiv. The goal is simple: provide a clear, factual, English-language window on the business opportunities and obstacles in Ukraine. We believe the time is right. Ukraine has a highly educated workforce of […]

China Russia

UkraineAlert

Jan 13, 2017

US Should Require Russia’s RT to Register as Foreign Agent

By Elena Postnikova

Russia used RT, its TV channel, to influence the recent US elections. This was the finding of the recently declassified US intelligence report; it concluded that Russia implemented a multifaceted campaign involving disclosures of data obtained through hacking, intrusions into state and local electoral boards, and propaganda. While the American elite is debating an appropriate […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 11, 2017

Ten Things You Should Know about Russian Involvement in Ukraine

By Vitalii Rybak

Russian President Vladimir Putin denies involvement in the conflict in Ukraine’s east. Despite his continued denials of Russia’s involvement in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), a growing body of evidence casts doubts on his claims. Here are ten things everyone needs to know about Russian involvement in Ukraine. 1. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 11, 2017

The Fight for Ukraine Is Still Not Over

By Ilya Yashin

Russian President Vladimir Putin uses a broad array of tools to keep Ukraine in Russia’s sphere of influence and destabilize Ukraine’s current government. These tools include propaganda, financial support of loyal parties and journalists, corruption, economic pressure, political blackmail, and direct military intervention. Others have documented these tools well. I see four ways Putin is […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 10, 2017

Russia’s Crimea Bridge Could Collapse Anytime

By Halya Coynash

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called construction of a bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea a “historic mission.” He should pay better attention to history. This mission is doomed to failure, and not only because of sanctions. Experts warn that even if the bridge now under construction can be finished, its chances of standing for […]

Russia Ukraine