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Featured Reading

Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

New Atlanticist Apr 21, 2025

Four contests for democracy in Europe challenge the narrative of advancing authoritarianism

By Daniel Fried

In Georgia, Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey, pro-democracy demonstrators are taking to the streets in massive numbers. But how long will the upsurge last?
Democratic Transitions Europe & Eurasia
Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

New Atlanticist Mar 17, 2025

Enough carrots for Putin. For better negotiations, serve ‘maximum pressure’ instead.

By Benjamin L. Schmitt, Richard L. Morningstar, and Daniel Fried

Since Russia appears content for negotiations to move slowly, the Trump administration should turn up the pressure with new sanctions.
Conflict Economic Sanctions
Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

Issue Brief Mar 5, 2025

The EU must become a strategic player in defense—alongside NATO

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The European Union and NATO need renewed alignment on defense to meet the new geopolitical moment. Refocused cooperation would provide a critically needed burden sharing to eliminate vulnerabilities and prepare Europe to withstand new realities.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia

featured events

Online Event Thu, March 20, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

The future of EU defense

Following the release of the European Union’s whitepaper on the future of European defense, an expert panel unpacks what role the EU should play in transatlantic security.
Europe & Eurasia European Union NATO Security & Defense
Online Event Tue, February 18, 2025 • 11:30 am ET

How long can Russia sustain its aggression in Ukraine?

The Eurasia Center discusses how the confluence of Russia’s war of attrition, economic decline, and energy damage impact the Russian Federation and its global standing.
Conflict Economic Sanctions Europe & Eurasia International Markets

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 reluctant consensus: War and Russia’s public opinion

by Maria Snegovaya

A new Atlantic Council report explores Russian society’s consolidation around the Kremlin and the Russian public’s perception of Putin’s war on Ukraine.

In-depth Research & reports

Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

Report Mar 3, 2025

The art of the transatlantic deal

By Frances Burwell

The transatlantic relationship is shifting with US president Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Nevertheless, discreet deals across the US-EU trade, energy, and defense sectors are possible.
Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia
Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

Report Jun 7, 2024

Reconstructing Ukraine at war: The journey to prosperity starts now

By John E. Herbst, Olga Khakova, Charles Lichfield

Rebuilding the Ukrainian economy after Russia’s full-scale invasion will be a monumental task. Reconstruction can’t wait for peace and must be a well-coordinated, inclusive process.
Economy & Business Energy & Environment

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

The Atlantic Council in Turkey aims to promote and strengthen transatlantic engagement with the region by providing a high-level forum and pursuing programming to address the most important issues on energy, economics, security, and defense.

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

Reality Check

Mar 5, 2021

Reality Check #4: Focus on interests, not on human rights with Russia

By Emma Ashford, Mathew Burrows

The Biden administration should seek to build a less aspirational policy toward Russia, minimize the use of sanctions, and look for incentives that might induce Moscow to take steps in line with US interests.

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

Issue Brief

Mar 5, 2021

Biden and Ukraine: A strategy for the new administration

By Anders Åslund, Daniel Fried, Melinda Haring, John E. Herbst, William B. Taylor, Alexander Vershbow

The United States has been an essential partner for Ukraine since the Kremlin's invasion in 2014. Now that Joe Biden has taken office, he has a real chance to move past the difficult detour that US-Ukraine relations took under his predecessor.

Conflict Corruption

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2021

A rebuttal to Russia’s narrative about the West, grounded in history

By Ian Brzezinski, Daniel Fried, Alexander Vershbow

A recently compiled trove of historical documents constitutes a profound rebuttal of a false narrative, contradicting Moscow’s complaints about NATO through the words of Russia’s own top officials and experts. In an age of widespread disinformation and malign revisionism, the collection provides an accurate account of the NATO-Russia relationship.

European Union International Organizations

In the News

Mar 4, 2021

Power Vertical Podcast: Putin’s death squads

By Atlantic Council

Human Rights Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2021

Zelenskyy aims to end Ukraine’s oligarch era

By Iuliia Mendel

As events in recent weeks have shown, President Zelenskyy is prepared to challenge the power of Ukraine’s oligarchs everywhere from the energy and banking sectors to politics and the media.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

In the News

Mar 4, 2021

Snegovaya interviewed by Illiberalism Studies Program’s Agora on the political economy of populism in Central Europe

By Atlantic Council

Civil Society Human Rights

New Atlanticist

Mar 4, 2021

A three-step plan for reviving the transatlantic alliance

By Edward Fishman, Mark D. Simakovsky

Reviving the transatlantic partnership will require more than the traditional close diplomacy, warm rhetoric, and lofty white papers. It will demand bold action that proves the United States and Europe can still accomplish major feats together.

Coronavirus Digital Policy

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2021

Ukraine can feed the world

By Roman Leshchenko

The launch of an agricultural land market will leave Ukraine well placed to assume an ever-greater role in global food security, says Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy Roman Leshchenko.

Economy & Business Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 3, 2021

Difficult neighbors: How the Belarus crisis has strained ties between Minsk and Kyiv

By Vladislav Davidzon

The democratic awakening that has taken place in Belarus since August 2020 has fractured and realigned the economic, military, diplomatic, and security relationship between Minsk and Kyiv.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Mar 3, 2021

Spring showdown looms in Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus faces a hot spring season in 2021. Pro-democracy protesters are seeking the end of a 26-year dictatorship. The geopolitical implications mean Russia and the West will also be very much engaged.

Belarus Civil Society
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Experts

Fellow

Fabio Petito

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Freedom and Prosperity Human Rights

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Ivo Walinga

China Programme Officer, International Energy Agency

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Energy & Environment

Fellow

Trevor H. Rudolph

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoTech Center

Cybersecurity Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Marek Magierowski

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Jacobo Ramos Folch

Policy Manager, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Economy & Business

Fellow

David H. Young

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Afghanistan Conflict
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Events

Flagship Event Tue, September 30, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

2025 Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics

The Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics is an annual conference convening economic and financial leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.
Digital Policy Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia European Union