During the third ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) Advisory Council, held in Baku, on February 23, the European Commission’s vice president for the Energy Union, Maroš Šefčovič, encouraged international financial institutions to bankroll the SGC project (Trend, February 23). Amidst volatile oil... MORE

In late February 2017, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Vice Admiral Ihor Voronchenko, in an interview with Ukrainian Channel 5, said that the country was considering procuring used combat ships from the West as a way to increase Ukraine’s naval capabilities. The vice admiral... MORE

Just a couple of months ago, things looked to be going thoroughly President Vladimir Putin’s way. The 2016 elections in the United States gave the presidency to Donald Trump—a flamboyant real estate mogul and reality TV star, a nationalist and an isolationist. Throughout his campaign,... MORE

Even during periods of relative calm, interpreting the range of opinions regarding the domestic situation in Belarus requires a no-nonsense immersion in the country’s political landscape, formative experience and an ability to read between the lines. However, until recently, a degree of certainty has at... MORE

The Donald Trump administration has repeatedly suggested that the true measure of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member country’s commitment to the Alliance—and hence of the Alliance to it—is defense spending equal to at least 2 percent of GDP. But often, such fixation on... MORE

After only two months in office, Moldova’s President Igor Dodon announced plans for amending the constitution. His proposed changes, presented on February 28, would give the head of state the power to dissolve parliament on five new grounds, in addition to the existing two (President.md,... MORE

Two arrests in Spain’s two biggest cities have brought to the fore the complex issues of Russian cyber activities in the West and relations between Madrid and Moscow. On January 13, at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, Spain’s Civil Guard (constabulary-type police force) arrested computer programmer... MORE

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced, on February 11, that Ukroboronprom (a state-owned association of multi-product enterprises in the defense industry) has successfully tested a new type of domestically produced air-to-ground rocket with impressive technical characteristics (Pravda.com.ua, February 11). This 80 millimeter caliber munition can be... MORE

Ukraine has just concluded its month-long role as rotating president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during February 2017. Kyiv has specifically pledged to use this high-level international forum to confront Moscow for its aggression and to seek reimbursement for the damages Ukraine has... MORE

In late January, groups of self-identified veterans and several controversial Ukrainian people’s deputies began blocking railways linking the territory of Donbas (provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk) controlled by Moscow-backed militants to areas controlled by the central government. They say that it is wrong to trade... MORE