issue spotlight

Ukraine response

Founded sixty years ago at the height of Cold War tensions with Moscow, the Atlantic Council is driven by our mission of “shaping the global future together.” The Council is a nonpartisan organization that galvanizes US leadership and engagement in the world in partnership with allies and partners. Building on that mission, we have responded quickly and comprehensively to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, harnessing our editorial and convening power to help the United States and its allies to act swiftly and effectively—and to unify the disparate voices in favor of democracy, prosperity, and the transatlantic alliance.

read more on UkraineAlert

Events

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

Russia Tomorrow

Dec 19, 2025

Narrating the war: Analyzing Russia’s narratives for its invasion of Ukraine

By Casey Michel

The latest report in the Atlantic Council's Russia Tomorrow series examines the Kremlin's narratives about its invasion of Ukraine.

Disinformation
Europe & Eurasia

TURKEYSource

Dec 19, 2025

How NATO and its partners should respond to Russia’s militarization of the wider Black Sea region

By Arnold C. Dupuy

As Russia continues to destabilize and militarize the Black Sea region, helping bolster regional security will require a concerted focus.

Conflict
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

Prisoner releases are welcome news but talk of a Belarus thaw is premature

By Hanna Liubakova

The freeing of 123 political prisoners in Belarus last week is encouraging news but should not be interpreted as an indication of more fundamental change, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2025

What’s in the new US defense bill for Ukraine?

By Doug Klain

The NDAA includes the best legislative support from Congress that Ukraine has received all year. At the same time, it also underscores the dramatic reduction in overall US support for Ukraine during 2025, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

‘Putin is lying’: Zelenskyy visits front to expose false claims of Russian gains

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid a personal visit last week to a front line city that Putin has repeatedly bragged of seizing in order to expose the Russian leader's habit of lying about battlefield gains, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Dec 16, 2025

The only winner from Ukrainian wartime elections would be Putin

By Yuriy Boyechko

Ukrainians are fighting to defend their democracy against Kremlin authoritarianism, but they are also in no rush to hold wartime elections amid relentless Russian bombardment and with millions of Ukrainians displaced, writes Yuriy Boyechko.

Conflict
Elections

Dispatches

Dec 15, 2025

As the US, Ukraine, and Europe talk of peace, Russia still thinks only of surrender

By John E. Herbst

As US and European officials work with Kyiv to sort out security guarantees and other elements of a potential deal, Moscow continues its obstinance.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO

Podcast

Dec 11, 2025

“Youth as merchandise”: Iraqi mercenaries in Ukraine

By Alia Brahimi

In Season 2, Episode 13 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by the Iraqi political analyst Mohammed Salih to discuss the legion of Iraqi men turning up on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.

Iraq
Middle East

UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2025

Russia’s insistence on a defenseless Ukraine betrays Putin’s true intentions

By Peter Dickinson

Russia's key demands during US-led peace talks all appear designed to leave Ukraine disarmed and defenseless. This is a clear indication of Vladimir Putin's intention to continue his invasion and complete the conquest of Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Dec 10, 2025

Russian drones and blackouts test the resilience of Ukraine’s second city

By Maria Avdeeva

With Putin’s army now advancing to the east and the Russian bombardment of civilian targets intensifying, Kharkiv residents are now facing what may become the most difficult winter of the entire war, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Defense Technologies
Drones

Experts