Europe & Eurasia

Europe & Eurasia

Stretching from the shores of the Atlantic to the mountains of Central Asia, the European and Eurasian landmass contains both some of the most stable and wealthy countries in the world, as well as some of the poorest and those led by repressive regimes. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022 has transformed the region’s security and launched economic, political, and defense issues into the global limelight, emphasizing the necessity of increased regional and transatlantic cooperation.

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Featured Reading

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

Inflection Points
Jun 26, 2026

Secretary General Mark Rutte on Trump, Europe, and the future of NATO

By
Frederick Kempe

Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe sits down with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Washington.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

Dispatches
May 22, 2026

Washington’s latest force posture moves have Europeans feeling whiplash

By
Daniel Fried, Torrey Taussig

The announcement on sending US troops to Poland didn’t stop Washington’s other force posture decisions from generating concern among NATO allies.

Eastern Europe
Europe & Eurasia

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

Atlantic Council Strategy Paper Series
May 13, 2026

A US and allied strategy for Greenland

By
the Atlantic Council Task Force on Greenland

After US rhetoric about taking control of Greenland exacerbated tensions between Washington and European allies in January, the US, Greenland, and Denmark opened discussions about the US presence in the autonomous territory. In parallel, the Atlantic Council’s Task Force on Greenland brought together transatlantic expertise to explore the underlying issues and find a productive path forward.

Greenland
Northern Europe

featured events

Online Event
Thu, June 25, 2026 • 1:45 pm ET

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the Ankara summit agenda

AN AC FRONT PAGE EVENT—NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte lays out his priorities for the upcoming Ankara summit.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO
United States and Canada


Public Event
Wed, November 19, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

Intent to destroy: Confronting Russia’s campaign to erase Ukraine and its people

In this conference hosted by the Strategic Litigation Project and the Eurasia Center, experts will identify strategies to halt Russia’s campaign of atrocities against the Ukrainian people.

Civil Society
Conflict
Crisis Management
Security & Defense


The Russia Tomorrow series

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 challenged much of the common Western understanding of Russia. How can the world better understand Russia? What are the steps forward for Western policy? The Eurasia Center’s new “Russia Tomorrow” series seeks to reevaluate conceptions of Russia today and better prepare for its future tomorrow.

Read More

Russia Tomorrow

The CRINK: Inside the new bloc supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine

by Angela Stent

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow series details how Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought together a new set of partners–united not by shared values, but by shared grievances–on the international stage: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

In-depth Research & reports

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

Russia Tomorrow
Dec 12, 2025

The Russian economy in 2025: Between stagnation and militarization 

By
Elina Ribakova, Lucas Risinger

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow series examines the Russian wartime economy.

Economy & Business
Europe & Eurasia

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

Report
Jan 14, 2026

Digital sovereignty: Europe’s declaration of independence?

By
Frances Burwell, Kenneth Propp

In Brussels, “digital sovereignty” may be the new “strategic autonomy”: a push for Europe to go its own way and depend less on the United States. As US tech companies and EU regulators clash, catch up on a policy debate with consequences playing out online and in the halls of power.

Digital Policy
Economy & Business

programs

The Europe Center promotes the transatlantic leadership and strategies required to ensure a strong Europe.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAM

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.

EXPLORE THE PROGRAM

Within the Atlantic Council’s longstanding commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship, the Atlantic Council Turkey Program conducts research, provides thought leadership, and offers a platform for strategic dialogue between the US, Turkey, and NATO allies to address the region’s toughest challenges and explore opportunities, including in the fields of energy, business & trade, technology, defense, and security.

Learn more

Explore the Power Vertical podcast

The Power Vertical

The Power Vertical is a blog and podcast for Russia wonks and Kremlin watchers by Brian Whitmore. It covers emerging and developing trends in Russian politics, shining a spotlight on the high-stakes power struggles, machinations, and clashing interests that shape Kremlin policy today.

Explore the Debrief series

#AtlanticDebrief

#AtlanticDebrief hosts interviews with leading experts, policymakers, and newsmakers from both sides of the Atlantic to unpack the challenges and opportunities of the transatlantic relationship.

Explore the Series


#BalkansDebrief

The Atlantic Council Europe Center’s #BalkansDebrief series features timely conversations on key issues impacting the Western Balkans. Nonresident senior fellow Ilva Tare hosts newsmakers, experts, and officials for discussions on rule of law, energy security, cultural heritage, Russian and Chinese influence in the region, and more.

Explore the Series

Content

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen in Afghanistan, December 23, 2013

NATOSource

Jun 27, 2014

German Parliament Cuts Defense Budget

By Albrecht Müller, Defense News

The ruling conservative-left coalition of the German Bundestag Wednesday night passed a 2014 defense budget of €32.44 billion (US $44.13 billion), compared with a budget of €33.26 billion for 2013.

Germany NATO
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Austin, May 10, 2011

NATOSource

Jun 27, 2014

NATO Chief: America and Europe – Defending Freedom Together

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

The soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy and who parachuted into the fields of northern France were upholding a fundamental truth: that you can’t have security on one side of the Atlantic without security on the other.

NATO Russia

Article

Jun 27, 2014

EU Leadership Change: What’s at Stake for Europe and the US?

By Marten Van Heuven

Sometime soon, the prospect of the European holiday calendar will force the pace, and the European Union will have a new management team. A new European Commission will alter relations among member states and between them and the European institutions in Brussels. Of course, it will not put an end to the tug and pull […]

Europe & Eurasia European Union
Swedish Chief of Defense Gen. Sverker Goranson (on right) at NATO headquarters, May 21, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2014

Russia Stokes Fresh Debate Among the Nordics about NATO Membership

By Charlemagne, Economist

Sweden and Finland stopped being neutral years ago.

NATO NATO Partnerships
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, June 26, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2014

Most Germans Oppose Permanent NATO Base in Poland and Baltics: Poll

By Stephen Brown; Reuters

Nearly three quarters of Germans would oppose NATO having permanent NATO military bases in eastern Europe as requested by Poland and the Baltic states because of a perceived threat from Russia, according to a new poll released on Wednesday.

Germany NATO

New Atlanticist

Jun 26, 2014

Call it Terrorism: The Unacknowledged Tactic of the Russian-Led Insurgency in Ukraine’s East

By John E. Herbst

Once the Kremlin  seized and “annexed” Crimea in late March, it began a campaign designed at a minimum to destabilize Eastern Ukraine.  While we cannot know for sure what Mr. Putin’s maximalist goal is, it includes, at least, establishing an autonomous southeastern Ukraine sensitive to Moscow’s interests. The Kremlin, however, badly miscalculated.  It acted as […]

Russia Ukraine

New Atlanticist

Jun 26, 2014

New Leadership Wanted for a New Europe

By Fran Burwell

Jean-Claude Juncker is the Obvious Candidate as Europe’s Chief Executive – and He Should Step Aside Continent capable of both great deeds and rhetoric, but also much muddling and disappointment, seeks new management to improve performance and reawaken customer loyalty. Must have strong leadership skills, ability to manage a complicated policy process while rising above […]

Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin, April 28, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2014

Why Expanding NATO would Deter Russia, Stabilize Europe

By Tomas Valasek and Damon Wilson, CNN GPS

At a time when NATO is facing a period of tensions and confrontation along its borders, does enlargement help or hurt the Alliance?

NATO NATO Partnerships

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2014

Amid the ‘Dirty War’ in Ukraine, Hundreds Have Disappeared – and a Few Volunteers Search for Them

By Irena Chalupa

Kateryna Serhatskova, a 26-year-old Russian reporter for the Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda, is becoming one of the main documenters of the “dirty war” for control of the Donbas region of southeastern Ukraine. Serhatskova, who lived for several years in Crimea, travels regularly to some of the most violent and fearful towns in the Donbas […]

Ukraine

In the News

Jun 26, 2014

Hansen: Securing Georgia and Using the West’s Capital Wisely

By Ian Hansen

Atlantic Council Program Assistant Ian Hansen writes for the Huffington Post on the importance of securing a strong liberal democracy in Georgia:

European Union International Organizations
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Experts

Fellow

Valeriya Ionan

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center Europe Center

Digital Policy English

Fellow

Beniamino Irdi

Former Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Disinformation English

Millennium fellow

Ioan Istrate

Venture Adviser, Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, NATO

Millennium Leadership Program

Americas Eastern Europe

Fellow

Markus Jaeger

Senior Advisor

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Central Europe Economy & Business

Fellow

Ash Jain

GeoStrategy Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Europe & Eurasia Indo-Pacific

Executive Leadership Intensive participant

Aleksandar Jakovljevic 

Former Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Serbia

Millennium Leadership Program

Civil Society Politics & Diplomacy
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Events

Flagship Event Fri, December 11, 2026 • 8:30 am ET

2026 Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics

The Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics is an annual flagship convening focused on issues at the nexus of economics, finance, foreign policy, and national security.
Digital Policy Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia European Union