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
Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

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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Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

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
Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

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 Tue, May 20, 2025 • 11:30 am ET

Report launch: Confronting Russia’s cyber power
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Russia reset redux: Business bonanza or bust?
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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

UkraineAlert

Apr 7, 2021

Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

By Vladislav Davidzon

Ukraine has ruled out a return to peace talks in Minsk due to growing Russian influence over Belarus as the Kremlin capitalizes on the international isolation of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus Conflict

BelarusAlert

Apr 7, 2021

The battle for Belarus: Russified regime faces Westernizing society

By Brian Whitmore

As the Russification of the Belarusian state unfolds, a very different dynamic is developing in Belarusian civil society: ordinary Belarusians are distancing themselves from Russia and embracing the West.

Belarus Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

Upgrading Ukraine’s Air Force could deter Russia

By Stephen Blank

Reinforcing Ukraine's Air Force would be a powerful way to deter Russian aggression against Ukraine and indicate to Moscow that the Western world will no longer tolerate Russian military adventurism in Eastern Europe.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2021

Is Putin about to launch a new offensive in Ukraine?

By Peter Dickinson

Russia has sparked alarm in recent days by massing its armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. The military build-up has raised fears of a dramatic escalation in the simmering seven-year conflict between the two countries.

Conflict Russia

Fast Thinking

Apr 2, 2021

FAST THINKING: Russia’s making military moves in Ukraine. What’s it up to?

By Atlantic Council

Russia is massing military forces on its border with Ukraine and in Crimea. Seven years after Russia first invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea, how did we get to this new point of peril? And what should we expect next?

Crisis Management Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2021

How Putin made the international media his unwitting accomplices

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against Ukraine relies heavily on deliberate disinformation and blanket denials. By prioritizing impartiality over accuracy, the international media has often played the role of unwitting accomplice.

Conflict Disinformation

In the News

Apr 1, 2021

Davidzon in The Critic: Amnesty International is wrong to brand Alexei Navalny an anti-hero

By Atlantic Council

Civil Society Corruption

BelarusAlert

Mar 31, 2021

Soft annexation: Inside the Russian takeover of Belarus

By Brian Whitmore

Russia is slowly but steadily achieving the "soft annexation" of Belarus via a series of political, economic, and military measures that will assure the Kremlin of dominance over its small western neighbor.

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

Issue Brief

Mar 31, 2021

Putin’s Mediterranean gambit: Endgame unclear

By Mark N. Katz

For more than 250 years, Russian leaders have sought to project power and influence in the Mediterranean region. Sometimes these efforts have met with a significant degree of success. At times, though, Russia has pulled back from the Mediterranean because of setbacks in the region, events in Europe, or convulsions inside Russia. These pullbacks, however, have never been permanent and have always been followed by renewed Russian efforts to gain influence in the region.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2021

Why the Black Sea could emerge as the world’s next great energy battleground

By Aura Sabadus

The Black Sea has vast untapped oil and gas reserves along with enormous renewable energy possibilities. This makes it potentially one of the world's great energy battlegrounds in the decades ahead.

Eastern Europe Geopolitics & Energy Security
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Experts

Fellow

Mikhail Zygar

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Political Reform Politics & Diplomacy

Fellow

Katarzyna Zysk

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Arms Control English

Events

Public Event Tue, May 20, 2025 • 11:30 am ET

Report launch: Confronting Russia’s cyber power
Cybersecurity Digital Policy Europe & Eurasia Infrastructure Protection