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Ensuring a Secure and Sovereign Ukraine
With the Russia-Ukraine war now in its fourth year, the future of Ukraine remains unclear. Ensuring that Ukraine is able to resist and survive Russia’s full-scale invasion is essential to restore peace and security to Europe. With this goal in mind, the Council’s Special Initiative on the war in Ukraine provides timely, informed analysis and practical policy recommendations for U.S. policymakers and the American public.
Watch Introduction Video
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The Limits of Putin’s Ambitions
Putin’s war in Ukraine is not just about territory—it’s a calculated move rooted in history to reclaim Russia's global influence and potentially redraw Europe’s borders. To safeguard European security, the West needs to build a strong deterrent while pursuing dialogue to ensure long-term stability.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Russian government in Moscow, Russia. Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/Reuters]()
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Partners in Peacemaking: How the United States and Europe Can End the War in Ukraine
It would be easy for President Donald Trump to exclude his European counterparts from peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. But involving European partners is necessary to secure a better deal for the United States.
![French President Emmanuel Macron accompanies U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a trilateral meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Reuters/Christian Hartmann]()
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The Art of a Good Deal: Ukraine’s Strategic Economic Opportunity for the United States
As President Donald Trump pursues a quick end to the war in Ukraine, he should recognize that maximizing Ukraine’s security in any negotiated settlement is in the long-term economic interests of the United States.
![A FPV drone with a portable grenade launcher was seen during a test flight by Ukrainian servicemen near the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Reuters/Stringer]()
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Ukraine, NATO, and War Termination
The United States has an unquestionable interest in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Equally imperative, argue Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Eric Ciaramella and Eric Green, is safeguarding Ukraine’s postwar sovereignty and security while signaling to Russia and other adversaries that attempting to change borders through force will incur a heavy cost.
![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte shake hands during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]()
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Defending Ukraine in the Absence of NATO Security Guarantees
A cease-fire deal with Russia will not ensure Ukraine’s long-term security. CFR’s Paul Stares and the Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon argue for a multilayered defense system that could prevent another invasion while being financially sustainable for Ukraine’s allies.
![Fortifications built by the Ukrainian army stretch across a field near the front line outside Kupiansk, Ukraine. Reuters/Thomas Peter]()
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Rebuilding Ukraine: Priorities and Strategies
To rebuild Ukraine’s economy successfully, argue the authors, policymakers should help facilitate the return of Ukrainian workers and private investment by developing a long-term recovery strategy.
![A drone image shows residential and administrative buildings destroyed by Russian air strikes in Toretsk, Ukraine. (Ukraine Patrol Police Department/Reuters)]()
Symposium
Securing Ukraine's Future
As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the international context is changing rapidly, including the prospects for a negotiated settlement. Much is at stake, and it is essential that the challenges ahead be fully appreciated. Following a keynote address from U.S. Special Envoy for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg, panelists explored how to ensure Ukraine's long-term security and help it rebuild and recover from the ravages of war.
Research Priorities
This initiative explores three key topics for securing Ukraine’s future: pathways to peace, economic assistance and recovery, and reframing European security.
Toward Peace
How Trump Can Reset His Failed Ukraine Policy
By Philip H. Gordon and Rebecca Lissner via Foreign Policy
Is a Russia-Ukraine Cease-Fire Deal Slipping Away From Trump?
By Max Boot
Russia’s Peace Demands on Ukraine Have Not Budged
Our Experts
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
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Putin’s war in Ukraine is not just about territory—it’s a calculated move rooted in history to reclaim Russia's global influence and potentially redraw Europe’s borders. To safeguard European security, the West needs to revive its proven strategy: build a strong deterrent while pursuing dialogue to ensure long-term stability.
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Ending the Russia-Ukraine war demands a shift in strategy from the Trump administration—one that compels Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate by coupling sustained pressure with pragmatic dialogue. A carefully crafted framework agreement is the key to breaking the deadlock and advancing a durable peace.
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European leaders should avoid clashing with Trump at the NATO Summit in The Hague. In the coming months and years, they should focus on increasing defense spending, further integrating Ukraine into the regional security architecture, and developing a European-led future for the alliance.
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NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
With both summits ahead, European leaders will have two opportunities to convince Trump about the importance of aiding Ukraine and ensuring European security. -
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On the eighty-first anniversary of D-Day, CFR President Michael Froman and senior fellows discuss the Trump administration’s diminished appetite for engagement in European security affairs—even as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on.