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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.

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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

Aug 12, 2025

Sacrificing Ukraine will only increase the cost of stopping Putin’s Russia

By Pavlo Zhovnirenko

Pressuring Ukraine to accept a Kremlin-friendly settlement may succeed in pausing the current war, but it will not bring peace. On the contrary, it will set the stage for international instability on a far larger scale, writes Pavlo Zhovnirenko.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2025

Alaska Summit: Trump must press Putin over future Ukrainian security

By John E. Herbst

Trump-Putin Alaska Summit: If Moscow insists on the acceptance of Russian control over Ukrainian land for a ceasefire, it must accept strong measures to bolster Ukrainian security as well, writes John E. Herbst.

Conflict European Union

In the News

Aug 11, 2025

Ullman in The Hill on President Trump and President Putin’s meeting in Alaska 

On August 11, Atlantic Council Senior Advisor Harlan Ullman published an op-ed in The Hill on President Trump and President Putin’s meeting in Alaska. He argues that China and Russia have the leverage to disrupt Trump’s dealmaking.

China Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

In the News

Aug 10, 2025

Guenov quoted in the New York Times on the Trump-Putin Summit

On August 1, Tressa Guenov, director of operations and programs and senior fellow at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, was quoted in the New York Times on President Trump’s and Russian President Putin’s perceptions of their meeting in Alaska.

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

Fast Thinking

Aug 8, 2025

Trump and Putin just announced a meeting in Alaska. What does that mean for the war in Ukraine? 

By Atlantic Council

As attention turns to the tête-à-tête in the last frontier, we turn to our experts for their insights on what to expect.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Aug 7, 2025

Ukraine’s expanding robot army can help address manpower shortages

By David Kirichenko

Robotic systems are in many ways an ideal battlefield solution for Ukraine as the country seeks ways to leverage its proven tech prowess in order to defend itself in a grueling war of attrition against a far larger enemy, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

In the News

Aug 7, 2025

Vinograd on CBS News on President Trump’s decision to impose additional tariffs on India

On August 7, Samantha Vinograd, nonresident senior fellow at the Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative, appeared on CBS News to discuss President Trump’s announcement of an additional 25% tariff to be imposed on India as the country continues to buy Russian oil.

India Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Aug 6, 2025

Dispatch from the Russian border: The Curonian Spit and the contest of the Baltic Sea

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

A recent visit to Lithuania’s border with Kaliningrad reveals how the Baltic Sea has become one of Europe’s most contested maritime zones.

Eastern Europe NATO

In the News

Aug 6, 2025

Vinograd on CBS News on US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with President Putin

On August 6, Samantha Vinograd, nonresident senior fellow at the Adrienne Arsht National Security Resilience Initiative, appeared on CBS News to discuss US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the Trump administration pushes Russia to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine.

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2025

Digital democracy is the key to staging wartime elections in Ukraine

By Brian Mefford

With no end in sight to Russia's invasion, Ukraine cannot afford to postpone all elections indefinitely. With this in mind, it is time to start the process of digitalizing Ukraine’s democracy, writes Brian Mefford.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

Experts

Events