Geopolitical Futures

U.S.-Russia talks. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and the presidential special envoy on foreign investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, held talks with U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at the Kremlin. Ushakov described the conversation as constructive but said a compromise on U.S. peace proposals to end the Russia-Ukraine […]

Security zone. Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian military’s North Forces Group to create a security zone along the border with Ukraine during a visit on Sunday to...

Ukraine's take. U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators held talks in Miami, Florida, on Friday, focused on the U.S.-brokered peace proposal with Russia. According to a CNN report, one of the...

(click to enlarge) For more than three decades, Christmas Island has depended on phosphate mining and exports for its economic livelihood. But these supplies won’t last forever, and so the...

Regional talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Kyrgyzstan for a three-day visit. He met on Wednesday with President Sadyr Japarov to discuss bilateral relations, ahead of a summit...

If the peace proposal currently under negotiation to end the war in Ukraine feels like déjà vu, you're not alone. Throughout the year, hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough have repeatedly surged and faded. But with the surprising terms of the latest proposal now on the table—and U.S. President Donald Trump hinting that this may be a "now or never" moment—the world is asking whether a real path to peace finally exists. Is the deal workable? How are Europe's leaders responding? And what fundamentals of the war risk being overlooked amid the political noise? Joining host Christian Smith to break down the proposal, assess the geopolitical dynamics shaping the negotiations, and explore the evolving economic relationship between the US and Russia and China is GPF Chairman George Friedman.