Council of Councils
Think Global Health
Online Store
International efforts, such as the Paris Agreement, aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But experts say countries aren’t doing enough to limit dangerous global warming.
Securing Ukraine’s Future
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 such that peace and security is restored to Europe will thus remain a policy priority for the United States. 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
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
Reconstruction
-
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]()
-
Toward a Settlement of the Russia-Ukraine War
To bring Russia to the negotiating table and end the war in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin needs to believe time is no longer on his side. Here’s what the Trump administration needs to do to make that happen.
![Russia's President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump talk during a bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque]()
-
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]()
-
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)]()
-
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]()
-
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]()
Our Experts
General John W. Vessey Senior Fellow for Conflict Prevention and Director of the Center for Preventive Action
-
With Ukraine’s president at the White House, Trump must make tough demands of Russia’s president, too.
-
-
-
-
Trump is looking to negotiate directly with Moscow to secure a peace deal on Ukraine.
-
The start of U.S.-Russia talks on a possible agreement to end the war in Ukraine has spurred discussion about whether U.S. military forces in Europe will be reduced—a decision that would signal a significant shift in security on the continent.
-
-
Panelists discuss how U.S. policy toward Russia may shift under a second Trump administration, including the use of sanctions, the continued war in Ukraine, Russia’s military capabilities, the political dynamics inside the Kremlin, and broader U.S. engagement with Moscow. This meeting is part of CFR’s Transition 2025 series, which examines the major foreign policy issues confronting the Trump administration. If you wish to attend virtually, log-in information and instructions on how to participate during the question and answer portion will be provided the evening before the event to those who register. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this hybrid meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
-
-
Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with Meaghan Mobbs, Brent Sadler, and Jacob Olidort, testified on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 to the House Oversight and Gover…
-
-