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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.

Host and Eurasia Center Senior Fellow Brian Whitmore invites guest experts to deliver their insights and analysis in this weekly podcast. The Atlantic Council and the Charles T. McDowell Center for Global Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington co-sponsor this production.

The Russia Tomorrow series

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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.

Content

UkraineAlert

Feb 28, 2025

Putin uses NATO as an excuse for his war against Ukrainian statehood

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin claims his invasion of Ukraine was provoked by NATO expansion but his efforts to eradicate Ukrainian identity in areas under Russian occupation and his insistence regarding Ukraine's complete disarmament reveal his ultimate goal of erasing Ukrainian statehood entirely, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict

New Atlanticist

Feb 27, 2025

Dispatch from Kyiv: The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting signals a momentum shift in Ukraine’s favor

By John E. Herbst

The Ukrainian president’s visit to the White House on Friday highlights just how far events have moved over the past two weeks.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Feb 27, 2025

Ukraine’s IT sector offers opportunities for pragmatic partnership with the US

By Anatoly Motkin, Hanna Myshko

As the new Trump administration reassesses its foreign partnerships through a lens of transactional pragmatism, Ukraine’s IT sector presents a potentially compelling case for deepening bilateral cooperation, write Anatoly Motkin and Hanna Myshko.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Feb 27, 2025

The Finlandization fallacy: Ukrainian neutrality will not stop Putin’s Russia

By Brian Mefford

Donald Trump seeks to broker a peace deal with Vladimir Putin but any attempt to impose neutrality on Ukraine could set the stage for further Russian aggression, writes Brian Mefford.

Conflict European Union

In the News

Feb 27, 2025

Michta in 19FortyFive and RealClearWorld on Washington’s evolving relationship with Europe 

On February 21, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, published an article in 19FortyFive on the so-called “transatlantic drift” as President Trump changes how the United States “traditionally engages with [European] allies.” This piece was featured in RealClearWorld.  

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Feb 26, 2025

Kroenig interviewed on BBC World Service on the emerging Trump 2.0 foreign policy doctrine  

On February 23, Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Scowcroft Center, was interviewed on BBC World Service on the emerging Trump 2.0 foreign policy doctrine. He shares his analysis of President Trump’s negotiation tactics for the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, including the president’s idea for a “two-track NATO” and his plan […]

Middle East NATO

In the News

Feb 26, 2025

Kroenig interviewed on BBC World Service on President Trump’s rhetoric and actions on Ukraine

On February 24, Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Scowcroft Center, was interviewed on BBC World Service on the Trump administration’s approach to ending the war in Ukraine. He notes that President Trump’s actions are consistent with his presidential campaign rhetoric, as well as his actions during his first term. He asks […]

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

New Atlanticist

Feb 26, 2025

Why the US should not lift sanctions against Russia

By Charles Lichfield

Sanctions are having an unmistakable effect, albeit below the inflated expectations of many in the West in early 2022. Lifting them now would be a mistake.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2025

US sides with Russia against Ukraine and Europe at the United Nations

By Shelby Magid

A diplomatic clash at the UN has illustrated the dramatic divide that has emerged between the United States and Europe since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump just over one month ago, writes Shelby Magid.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

In the News

Feb 25, 2025

Eftimiades quoted in a The Bureau article entitled, “Inside The Massive PRC Intelligence Machine Working On US Soil”

By Atlantic Council

On February 17, Forward Defense nonresident senior fellow Nicholas Eftimiades was quoted in a The Bureau article entitled, “Inside The Massive PRC Intelligence Machine Working On US Soil,” where he briefed security experts on his upcoming book. The article notes the importance of Eftimiades’ new book, drawing “insights from nearly 900 cases, including Linda Sun, […]

China Intelligence

Experts