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Featured Reading

What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

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
What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

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
What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

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

What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

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
What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

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.

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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

UkraineAlert

Apr 5, 2019

What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

By Danylo Lubkivsky

In 2019, Ukraine celebrates the centennial anniversary of the unification of its national lands. On January 22, 1919, the Act of Union marked a historic milestone: for the first time in centuries, the Ukrainian people had revived their nation and unified most of its territories. Then Russian aggression destroyed our freedom, like it did again […]

Conflict Defense Policy

NATOat70

Apr 4, 2019

As it turns 70, NATO sets its sights to the future

By David A. Wemer

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Alliance “took important decisions on urgent problem sets,” including burden sharing, Russia, and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan NATO

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

Zelenskiy wins first round but that’s not the surprise

By Mattia Nelles

The results of the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election did not surprise many. The four exit polls were remarkably close to one another and to the last comprehensive polls. They all displayed a similar picture: Volodymyr Zelenskiy would face off in the run-off with Poroshenko, who beat Tymoshenko. With the votes now counted, Zelenskiy […]

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

How Poroshenko could win and Zelenskiy could lose

By Alexander J. Motyl

The first round of Ukraine’s presidential election went overwhelmingly to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but his victory in round two is by no means self-evident—especially if his rival, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, plays his cards right. Ironically, Poroshenko’s three main strengths are Zelenskiy’s three main weaknesses. Poroshenko has a distinguished record (with a variety of blemishes, of […]

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

Who is really advising Zelenskiy?

By Daniel Szeligowski

Showman Volodymyr Zelenskiy may soon become the next president of Ukraine. His chances of winning the second round, slated for April 21, are high. He has long prepared to go into politics, thus his victory in the first round was neither sudden nor unexpected. However, he lacks any political experience and seems to have little […]

Democratic Transitions Elections

New Atlanticist

Apr 4, 2019

Brexit breaks Britain’s parties

By John M. Roberts

Curiously, while it is not possible to calculate just what will be the immediate outcome of the current Brexit imbroglio, it is already possible to gauge some of the longer-term consequences.

European Union United Kingdom

NATOat70

Apr 4, 2019

NATO at seventy: Filling NATO’s critical defense-capability gaps

By Wayne Schroeder

The need to outfit and equip NATO for great power competition, as well as increased pressure to invest more in defense, provides an opportunity to strengthen NATO for the future. Yet the path forward is still unclear. What investments should be prioritized to ensure that NATO retains its fighting mindset well past its seventieth anniversary in 2019?

Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia

NATOat70

Apr 3, 2019

Germany, NATO, and Transatlantic Security

NATO Engages 2019 “Statement and Conversation: Germany, NATO, and Transatlantic Security”    Speaker: Heiko Maas, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Federal Republic of Germany   Moderator: Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States   Location:  Washington, D.C.   Time:  4:25 p.m. EDT Date:  Wednesday, April 3, 2019  

Germany NATO
US Senator Chris Murphy

NATOat70

Apr 3, 2019

US Sen. Chris Murphy warns allies to be vigilant about the ‘quiet things’ Russia is doing

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Murphy says Russia funding "fight clubs and biker clubs" in the Baltic States to exploit domestic instability.

China NATO

NATOat70

Apr 3, 2019

Germany will meet its NATO commitments, foreign minister says

By David A. Wemer

NATO gave Germany a “second chance,” according to Maas. “We Germans won’t forget that.”

Defense Policy Germany
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Experts

Fellow

Sudeep Kanungo

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoTech Center

Africa Energy & Environment

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Martin-Sebastian Abel

Co-Founder & Managing Director, TransitionPlan

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Economy & Business

Fellow

Tobias Ellwood

Distinguished Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative

Politics & Diplomacy Security & Defense

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Angeliki Georgokosta

General Manager, El Sistema Greece

Millennium Leadership Program

Civil Society Education

European Leadership Accelerator Participant

Max Neufeind

Head of Transformation and Public Dialogue, German Federal Chancellery

Millennium Leadership Program

Central Europe Entrepreneurship

Fellow

Mark Mowrey

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Atlantic Council in Turkey

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia
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Events

Public Event Wed, May 14, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

Navigating a new era of NATO
Europe & Eurasia NATO Security & Defense United States and Canada
Online Event Fri, May 16, 2025 • 10:00 am ET

Lucian Kim on “Putin’s Revenge” and Russia’s war on Ukraine
Europe & Eurasia Human Rights Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine
Public Event Mon, May 19, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

US-Latvia Resilience Conference
Europe & Eurasia Resilience & Society Security & Defense
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