Russia wrote the peace plan. Trump's envoy coached the Kremlin. And nobody in charge understands what they're negotiating. Stephen Blank on a foreign policy process in freefall.
By setting the baseline conditions for negotiation and getting the White House to push them, Russia has gained a strong position while weakening Ukraine and Europe.
A new report highlights targets ranging from Crimean bridges to drone factories that sustain Moscow’s war effort. Analysts argue that striking these weak points could paralyze Russia’s logistics and increase the cost of occupation.
Trump abandoned $205 million daily sanctions against Russia while demanding Ukraine surrender its fortress belt—territorial concessions unprecedented since 1945.
Ukraine’s corruption investigators are back to charging million-dollar schemes after surviving a July attempt to strip their independence. But they’re working under a government that still has the administrative tools to derail sensitive cases and has demonstrated its willingness to use them.