We had the opportunity to visit Kyiv last week and met many Ukrainians, both inside and outside of government. We found them understandably war-weary but resolved to continue the fight, believing they can prevail and drive out the Russian aggressors. We also heard growing exasperation with their most important partner, the United States. In February
If Putin wins in Ukraine, will he go further? This is the question currently being asked with increasing urgency in capital cities throughout Europe. Skeptics note that the failures of the past two years have exposed the limitations of the Russian military, and claim a triumphant Putin would be in no position to expand the
Vladimir Putin has dismissed Russian Navy chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, Kremlin media confirmed this week. The removal of Yevmenov is the biggest shakeup among Russia’s military leadership in almost a year, reflecting mounting frustration in Moscow over the country’s heavy losses in the Battle of the Black Sea. Putin’s patience appears to have finally run
History has always served as an ideological battlefield, but few rulers in the modern era have weaponized the past quite as ruthlessly as Vladimir Putin. For more than two years, the Russian dictator has sought to justify Europe’s largest invasion since World War II by portraying it as a sacred mission to reclaim “historically Russian
As Ukrainians fight for national survival against Russia’s ongoing invasion, the country is continuing to implement important domestic reforms. These reforms play a crucial role in strengthening Ukraine’s wartime resilience, and also set the stage for a successful postwar recovery. The international community has a clear interest in helping Ukraine achieve further reform progress. Since
A series of news items in recent weeks have reignited the simmering debate over a possible peace deal to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While none of these developments provided a plausible roadmap toward a sustainable settlement, they did help highlight some of the key obstacles preventing a return to the negotiating table. The
When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Ukrainian Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov found himself having to repeatedly reassure Ukraine’s doubting partners that the country was not about to collapse. “At the beginning of the war, nobody believed we would stand,” he recalls. Danilov says the lack of faith
Since the beginning of March, Ukraine has been powering thousands of homes in neighboring European countries, exporting large amounts of clean energy from solar and hydro plants. Data from Ukraine’s electricity grid operator, Ukrenergo, indicates that the country is making full use of its interconnection capacity to sell electricity to Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Poland, and
Living in an active war zone over an extended period of time can play odd tricks on the mind. A calm moment in the park can be suddenly overtaken by visions of the previous evening’s air strikes. Roller coaster-like mood swings become commonplace and loud bangs ignite the urge to flee. This is very much
Ukrainian wartime documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” won the country’s first ever Oscar at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 10. For most Ukrainians, however, this was a bittersweet moment. Two years on from the harrowing events captured in Ukrainian director Mstyslav Chernov’s film, their country is still fighting for national survival against
