It will be difficult for Beijing and Moscow to break up.

The fact that the Russian elites have such high hopes for Trump speaks volumes. Internally, they are striving for normalization, rationalization, and pragmatism: things that Putin cannot give them.

Moscow would be wise to recognize that Japan is standing against Russian aggression and in support of the international system not because of U.S. pressure, but to defend itself.

Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, the strike on Dnipro using the experimental Oreshnik missile, and the possibility of new strategic arms agreements between Russia and the US.

Opinion among Ukrainians about Trump is divided: some believe his presidency will be a disaster for their cause in the war with Russia; others see it as an opportunity.

Even if the Abkhazian opposition manages to capitalize on its success by putting forward a successful candidate in the upcoming presidential election, the next leader will still have to find common ground with Moscow.