Comment archive

Friday, 4 Sept 2026
Is Europe up to Putin’s challenge – and vice versa?

For Europe, the challenge may no longer be only to deter Russia, but also to overcome the internal divisions that Russia seeks to exploit.

Thursday, 19 Feb 2026
Russia’s hope for trans-atlantic rift at MSC disappointed

Russia hopes to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe through hybrid attacks and nuclear brinkmanship to increase its chances of prevailing against Ukraine.

Wednesday, 1 Oct 2025
Putin attempts to shift nuclear brinkmanship

Russian President Vladimir Putin is shifting from overt nuclear brinkmanship to using Russia’s nuclear energy program as a “peaceful” tool of influence.

Wednesday, 16 Jul 2025
Putin’s game of war-making and bargaining comes to end

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s fake readiness to negotiate the end of Moscow’s war against Ukraine amid its relentless attacks on Ukraine appears to be coming to a breaking point.

Thursday, 26 Jun 2025
Putin’s preemptive maneuvering around NATO summit is cut off

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, investors from most parts of the world have stopped coming to Russia, so the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has turned into a show of fake innovation.

Monday, 24 Mar 2025
There’s a Path Forward for Turkey-Greece Cooperation — but It Requires a Dose of Realism

In the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions are largely the norm rather than the exception. Greece and Turkey, two stable states and NATO allies, enjoy largely peaceful unneighborly relations, despite occasional tension between them.

Monday, 9 Dec 2024
Escalation Management: Putin-style, Ukraine-challenged, and NATO-pursued

Russian missile strike on the sprawling industrial complex in Dnipro on November 21 produced far more strategic resonance than material damage – and has reopened hard questions about the constant mutation of the long Russia-Ukraine war and the methods of managing its escalation. The technical data on the missile in question is ...

Tuesday, 26 Nov 2024
Putin’s ‘Three Escalations’ Affect Prospect of Peace in Ukraine

Russia’s strategy in executing its aggressive war against Ukraine, passing the 1,000-day mark last week, puts the country’s economy, society, and armed forces under enormous pressure that Moscow’s militaristic propaganda cannot quite cover. As Russia’s war in Ukraine passes the 1,000-day mark, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategy has turned to ...

Wednesday, 18 Sept 2024
Moscow Takes the Measure of Western Vacillations

Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the US-led Western coalition has demonstrated remarkable determination in supporting Kyiv. Yet, every practical step in providing military support to defiant Ukraine has involved protracted deliberations (Kuzio, “Crimea: Where Russia’s War Started and Where Ukraine Will Win,” July 8). Moscow has sought to exploit and ...

Thursday, 25 Jul 2024
Moscow Seeks to Drive ‘Peace’ Wedge into Trans-Atlantic Unity

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not demonstrated any discernible change over the last few weeks in his maximalist stance on how to end his war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, many other governments and organizations continue to propose ideas and initiatives for how to end this devastating conflict, though not all of ...

Tuesday, 2 Jul 2024
Russia Seeks to Maintain Battlefield Initiative on Eve of NATO Summit

The ever-changing battlefield dynamics of Moscow’s war against Ukraine have made it impossible for predictions to be accurately tied to the political calendar. This unpredictability is particularly acute in the lead-up to one of the most critical events of 2024 — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington ...

Friday, 12 Apr 2024
NATO’s New Activity Makes Russia Anxious and Angry

Every Russian stereotype about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been disproven by the alliance’s surge of activity in its 75th year. Moscow portrays NATO as an aggressive and indecisive institution, rigidly controlled by the United States, and disunited. As NATO takes steps to increase its solidarity, Russian propagandists ...

Thursday, 20 Jul 2023
Russia Reels From New Post-Vilnius Challenges

The outcome of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12 left the Russian leadership confused and anxious. The controversial issue on Ukraine’s membership in the alliance was left pending, as had been planned. Thus, some official mouthpieces in Moscow and many “patriotic-military” bloggers have rushed to pronounce ...

Tuesday, 11 Jul 2023
A Vilnius Boost for the Ukrainian Offensive

The summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12 will likely not produce any sensational joint decisions; it is set, nevertheless, to signify a major step in reconfiguring and reinforcing the European security system. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shaken this system ...

Thursday, 8 Jun 2023
Ukraine Takes the War Deep Into Russia

Sun Tzu, the great Chinese military philosopher, was rarely studied in Soviet military academies, but the Ukrainian high command — seeking to “win first and start fighting after” — appears to be taking a page out of his treatise, The Art of War. Naturally, the intentions for a spring offensive have ...

Tuesday, 28 Mar 2023
As NATO Gains New Strength, Moscow Resorts to Nuclear Bluff

On March 23, the historic process of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) enlargement passed a critical milestone as Finnish President Sauli Niinistö signed into law legislation on accession to the Alliance approved by parliament. In response, the Kremlin merely expressed regret about this development and reiterated the absence of any ...

Wednesday, 22 Feb 2023
Before Decisive Battles, Russia’s War Against Ukraine Reaches a Political Culmination

As the one-year mark approaches, the Russo-Ukrainian war shows little movement along the battle lines but plenty of action along the political dimension, which may be approaching a culmination point. First came the meeting of Ukraine’s key supporters in the Ramstein format; then the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty ...

Monday, 20 Feb 2023
NATO Should Pursue Peace over Victory in Ukraine. Here Is Why and How.

In his foundational book on the causes of war, Kenneth Waltz observed that “[a]sking who won a given war […] is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake. That in war there is no victory but only varying degrees of defeat is a proposition that has gained increasing acceptance ...

Thursday, 7 Jul 2022
Sweden and Finland Entering NATO: Norway Must Now Reconsider the Scope and Mission of Its Armed Forces

Norway is becoming more secure. Not only will the military balance change, but also the geographical situation. The Nordic region is now more militarily capable than it has been for centuries. And Russia is in a historically weak position. Norway was in an isolated position during the Cold War: we ...

Monday, 16 May 2022
Could Annexation Be Putin’s Response to NATO Enlargement?

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has energized the North Atlantic Alliance in every possible way, reviving its purpose and unity, and granting it new attractiveness in Europe and greater prominence in the Indo-Pacific. The prospect of Finland and Sweden joining the 30 member-states was hypothetical last autumn, when Moscow issued the ...

Monday, 9 May 2022
Finland and Sweden’s Move to NATO

Russia’s war on Ukraine has repercussions also in Northern Europe. Finland and Sweden, despite their longstanding policy of military non-alignment, are more than likely going to submit their applications for NATO membership before the summer. In light of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war and both countries’ close existing partnership with ...

Friday, 19 Feb 2021
NATO’s Exit From Afghanistan: ‘a brutal dilemma’

NATO is facing ‘a brutal dilemma, NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said to the press ahead of NATO meeting of defense ministers on 17-18 February. The goal, said Stoltenberg, is that Afghanistan shall never again become a haven for terrorists attacking NATO and its allies. He continued: ‘While no ally ...

Tuesday, 4 Feb 2020
“Drone technology has democratized”: An Interview with Bruno Oliveira Martins and Andrea Silkoset

On February 12 PRIO will host a launch event for the report: Counter-Drone Systems: Implications for Norway in an EU and NATO context. The report aims to comprehensively address opportunities and potential risks, associated with the implementation of counter-drone technology (C-UAS). Together with Arthur Holland Michel, PRIO researchers Bruno Oliveira ...

Monday, 6 Jun 2016
Russia is showing uncharacteristic prudence - Why, and will it last?

With the NATO summit in Warsaw coming up in July, the rhetoric in many Western quarters is becoming shriller about the need to contain Russian aggression. There are good reasons for concern about Russia’s intentions and capabilities, as elaborated at the recent Lennart Meri conference in Tallinn. But in the last ...

Saturday, 18 Oct 2014
New NATO Cyber Defense Policy: Unclear on Key Issues

Against the background of increasing dependence on technology and on the internet, NATO is advancing its efforts to confront the wide range of cyber threats. Presented at the organization’s 2014 summit in Wales, on 4 September 2014, a new defense policy states that there is no distinction between cyber attack ...

Monday, 12 May 2014
Lethal Autonomous Weapons: Issues for the International Community

On May 13-16 a United Nations (UN) expert meeting will discuss ‘questions relating to emerging technologies’ in lethal autonomous weapon systems. Such systems are distinguished by being mobile and selecting targets autonomously without direct human supervision. This type of expert meeting represents the lowest rung of the UN ladder. The Chair of ...