issue spotlight

Europe in crisis

War in Ukraine

Experts from across the Atlantic Council are assessing the consequences of Russia’s February 2022 invasion, including what it means for Ukraine’s sovereignty, Europe’s security, and the United States’ leadership.

More on the war View UkraineAlert
The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion)

New Atlanticist Dec 4, 2024

A winning strategy to end Russia’s war against Ukraine

More than a dozen experts from the United States and Europe share their recommendations to the incoming Trump administration about how best to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion)

Russia Tomorrow Jan 8, 2025

Sanctioned kleptocracy: How Putin’s kremligarchs have survived the war—and even prospered

By Ilya Zaslavskiy

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow series explores how Russia’s kleptocratic networks infiltrated the West and measures the US and Europe can take to combat the malign influence of Russian kleptocracy around the globe.
Corruption Economic Sanctions
The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion)

UkraineAlert Jan 14, 2025

No peace without security: Ukraine needs guarantees against new Russian invasion

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is ready to make territorial concessions but insists that any peace deal must include credible long-term security guarantees to prevent a new Russian invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict European Union

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COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

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.

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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

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.

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Russia Tomorrow

Russia Tomorrow: Five scenarios for Russia’s future

by Casey Michel

A new Atlantic Council report explores five paths that Russia future might take in its future. What forces will shape Russia’s future?

recent events

Public Event Fri, January 31, 2025 • 3:00 pm ET

Screening of “Intercepted”
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Public Event Wed, January 8, 2025 • 2:00 pm ET

Report launch: How Putin’s kremligarchs have survived the war—and even prospered
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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.

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Content

New Atlanticist

Mar 6, 2025

The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion)

By Andrew A. Michta

Russia invaded Ukraine not because of NATO expansion, but because the West failed to back up Europe’s post-Cold War security architecture with hard power.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2025

Prospect of peace talks sparks fresh debate over Russia’s frozen assets

By Ivan Horodyskyy

US President Donald Trump's efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine are sparking fresh debate over the fate of $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, writes Ivan Horodyskyy.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2025

Europe has the resources to defend itself and back Ukraine against Russia

By Agnia Grigas

By leveraging its economic strength, demographic advantage, and military potential, Europe can confidently counter Putin’s imperial ambitions and provide Ukraine with the support it needs to resist Russia’s invasion, writes Agnia Grigas.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Mar 3, 2025

Ukrainians unite behind Zelenskyy after disastrous Oval Office meeting

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainians have rallied behind President Zelenskyy after his White House visit escalated into a very public spat with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Media

Op-Ed

Feb 28, 2025

Ullman in the Hill on the prospect of lasting peace in Ukraine

On February 24, Atlantic Council Senior Advisor Harlan Ullman published an op-ed for the Hill that analyzes the potential costs and consequences of ending the war in Ukraine. He argues that current European capabilities and unity cannot guarantee Ukraine’s security without US engagement.

Europe & Eurasia Politics & Diplomacy

In the News

Feb 28, 2025

Soofer interviewed on NucleCast podcast about homeland missile defense

By Atlantic Council

On February 25 Forward Defense senior fellow Robert Soofer was interviewed by Dr. Adam Lowther, Strategic Advisor to the ANWA Deterrence Center, on the NucleCast podcast. In the episode, they discussed the evolving threats from countries like North Korea, Russia, and China, and the need for a robust missile defense strategy that reassures allies and deters adversaries.

China Defense Policy

New Atlanticist

Feb 28, 2025

To rejoin the G7, Russia should meet several important conditions   

By Robert D. Hormats

To rejoin the G7, Russia must meet strict conditions, including making significant concessions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Defense Policy Economy & Business

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
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Experts

Fellow

Shawn Creamer

Nonresident Senior Fellow

GeoStrategy Initiative Indo-Pacific Security Initiative

Security & Defense East Asia

Fellow

William B. Taylor

Distinguished Fellow

Eurasia Center

English Europe & Eurasia

Staff

Katherine Spencer

Program Assistant

Eurasia Center

Central Asia Conflict

Fellow

Yarely Madrid

Nonresident Journalist Fellow

Global China Hub

China Latin America

Fellow

Leslie Shedd

Nonresident Fellow

Eurasia Center

Eastern Europe Elections

Advisory Council member

Vicky Kuperman

Global Advisor, Women for Prosperity

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Media Russia
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