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Opinion

Opinion: For Ukraine, elections can wait

Opinion: For Ukraine, elections can wait

by Michael Druckman, Zachary Popovich

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made headlines when he confirmed his belief that general elections should be postponed until after Ukraine wins the war. Despite some calls from Western allies to field elections sooner rather than later, polling shows that a majority of Ukrainians agree with Zelensky’s assessment that the

Opinion: Preparing for a Russian nuclear meltdown

Opinion: Preparing for a Russian nuclear meltdown

by Bennett Ramberg

The Wagner Group’s aborted rebellion in June, coupled with the protracted war in Ukraine, has renewed fears about the security of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. The risk of “loose nukes” or a vengeful leader going down with his finger on the trigger may seem far-fetched, but America must begin

Opinion: Why the Polish elections are good news for Ukraine

Opinion: Why the Polish elections are good news for Ukraine

by Michael Richter

The story around the Polish parliamentary elections earlier this month is one of a country at a crossroads. It was said that these were the most important elections since 1989, as a further Law and Justice (PiS) government would have cemented an increasingly illiberal system. In Western media outlets, the

Opinion: Elections and war are incompatible

Opinion: Elections and war are incompatible

by Olga Aivazovska

Had it not been for Russia’s full-scale war, Ukrainians would have engaged in a heated political season in the lead-up to the parliamentary elections on Oct. 29, as well as the presidential elections in March of the upcoming year. Despite some voices in the West pushing for Ukraine’s

Opinion: What's next for Poland?

Opinion: What's next for Poland?

by Sławomir Sierakowski

WARSAW – This wasn’t supposed to happen. With sweeping control over state financial resources and public and local media, Poland’s populist ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), had a massive structural advantage in this month’s parliamentary election. It should have won handily and continued consolidating its illiberal, anti-democratic

Opinion: The geopolitics of EU enlargement

Opinion: The geopolitics of EU enlargement

by Mark Leonard

The debate surrounding the European Union’s potential expansion is no longer really about Ukraine and the western Balkans. Enlargement is now an existential question with far-reaching implications for the EU and its ability to remain a prominent player in a rapidly changing global environment. BERLIN – Where will Europe’s

David Kirichenko: The continued menace of Russian disinformation

David Kirichenko: The continued menace of Russian disinformation

by David Kirichenko

The rise in Russia's disinformation efforts continues to be an ever-growing concern for Western nations. This uptick is notably concentrated on Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine, aiming to weaken Western backing for the country. These strategic propaganda operations are far from isolated events. They represent a broader pattern of information

Ana Palacio: Rule-making in a divided world

Ana Palacio: Rule-making in a divided world

by Ana Palacio

MADRID – If anyone had lingering doubts about the fractured state of global rule-making, they should now be dispelled. The just-concluded G20 summit in New Delhi attracted as much attention for who was not there – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping – as for the discussions among those who

Carl Bildt: The axis of outcasts

Carl Bildt: The axis of outcasts

by Carl Bildt

STOCKHOLM – Russian President Vladimir Putin had obvious reasons for hosting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at Vostochny, Russia’s new spaceport in eastern Siberia, this month. Owing to his illegal war of aggression in Ukraine, Putin is running low on both friends and ammunition. The Vostochny spaceport has a

Otar Dovzhenko: Ukraine's media market holds key to post-war recovery

Otar Dovzhenko: Ukraine's media market holds key to post-war recovery

by Otar Dovzhenko

Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 dealt a staggering blow to the Ukrainian media market, which had already been struggling prior. The media have lost their regular audience. Millions of readers, viewers, and listeners have either left the country, are internally displaced within Ukraine, have found themselves in Russian-occupied

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7:59 PM

Ukraine troops in Kursk Oblast must surrender, Putin claims.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on March 14 that Ukrainian soldiers must surrender in Kursk Oblast after U.S. President Donald Trump's request to "spare" the troops he claimed are surrounded. Ukraine denied claims that the country's troops are surrounded at any part of the front.
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