Amateur hour at the White House
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.
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Analysis
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Analysis of events in Ukraine
Russia’s info-op worked. Ukraine is now haggling over how much to surrender
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.
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan would violate 71 US international commitments
Enforcing the 28-point proposal would contradict 13 treaties and 23 political agreements Washington helped create
Ukraine’s quick fix for Energoatom scandal may gut critical reforms
How the government responds will determine if this scandal only affects Energoatom or every other state company, destroying years of hard-won reforms.
Desperation, war, and slots: Inside the gambling spiral consuming Ukraine’s soldiers
His petition gathered 25,000 signatures in one day. Two weeks later, Junior Sergeant Pavlo Petrychenko died defending Donetsk Oblast.
Rights expert: Zelenskyy’s Odesa decree strips citizenship with no legal recourse—and millions are at risk
Presidential decrees now override Article 25 of Ukraine's Constitution
The end of Russia’s energy empire in Central Asia: pipelines, politics, and payback
Russia’s Central Asian energy empire is collapsing—and investors still betting on Moscow are making a costly mistake.
Ukraine already built Europe’s “drone wall”—here’s how it actually works
Ukraine's acoustic sensors hunt Russian drones across hundreds of kilometers while Europe's still drawing blueprints for its "drone wall."
Putin needs Pokrovsk to unlock the Donbas—but it’s costing him everything
With 602 tanks lost, the Donbas fortress city is becoming this war's Stalingrad
Deaths outpace births 3-to-1 as Ukraine raises baby bonuses
Ukraine's fertility hits 0.8 as experts doubt financial fixes.
Ukraine just built a European-gauge railway during the war
Ukraine builds European railway cheaper and faster than peacetime EU projects—despite the war.
How Ukraine went from power blackouts to selling electricity to Europe in record numbers
Canadian engineers explore billion-dollar projects as Ukraine transforms from energy victim to electricity supplier.
Ukraine’s railway crisis threatens EU reconstruction investments
Passengers boarding Ukrainian trains this autumn encounter women-only compartments, accessibility-friendly carriages, and railway-branded merch.
2 million workers gone: Russia’s war economy slides toward collapse
With 73% of businesses understaffed, defense plants are breaking under labor shortages and falling output.
From ambush to alliance: Zelenskyy-Trump summit hints at revival of “peace through strength
Something fundamental shifted when the man who promised to end Ukraine's war in 24 hours discovered Putin won't negotiate in good faith.
Hudson Institute lists Russia’s eight most fragile military arteries Ukraine could sever next to break the stalemate
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.
Alaska surrender: Putin scores total victory, Trump turns pressure on Ukraine
Trump abandoned $205 million daily sanctions against Russia while demanding Ukraine surrender its fortress belt—territorial concessions unprecedented since 1945.
Ukraine’s anti-corruption cops just beat the president—but the fight’s not over
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.
The peace that kills: How the Alaska summit could end Ukraine without ending the war
In Washington, they call it peace negotiations. In Moscow, they call it Ukraine's legal execution.
So you think Ukraine can just leave Donbas? It’s the shield forged in steel — and paid in blood
The Donbas fortress belt has held for years against Russia’s army. Surrendering it would open the road west.