Brussels Sprouts

The past week has seen a flurry of diplomacy from President Trump as he seeks to bring about a negotiated solution to Russia’s war on Ukraine. While activity has been undeniably high, what fruit has all this effort borne? Sam Charap and Angela Stent join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to help make sense of a whirlwind few days and the implications for the future of Ukraine and the transatlantic relationship writ large. Samuel Charap is Distinguished Chair in Russia and Eurasia Policy and a senior political scientist at RAND. Angela Stent is Professor Emerita of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

One of the most transformative geopolitical developments in recent years has been the increasing alignment among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.  Accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the deepening economic, military, and technological ties among these four countries have resulted in a new Axis of Upheaval—united by shared opposition to a U.S.-led global order. On July 30, CNAS hosted a virtual panel discussing the new report, The Axis of Upheaval: Gauging the Growing Military Cooperation Among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The panel featured: Richard Fontaine, chief executive officer at CNAS Andrea Kendall-Taylor, senior fellow and director of the transatlantic security program at CNAS Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The event was moderated by David McKenzie, director of communications at CNAS Read the report! https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/the-axis-of-upheaval

Jim and Andrea chat with Fiona Hill, a leading expert on U.S.-Russia relations and Chancellor of Durham University. They delve into the escalating conflict in Ukraine and discuss Trump’s complicated relationship with Putin amid geopolitical shifts. The conversation touches on the risks of U.S. disengagement, the rise of adversarial alliances, and the implications for European security. Hill also highlights the urgency of addressing climate change and governance issues that echo historical crises, raising alarms about the future of global stability.

During the past several weeks, and since around March of this year, Russia has increased the intensity of its attacks on Ukraine. Moscow is launching brutal aerial assaults on cities and civilian centers, amounting to the largest drone and missile attacks to date in this war. Many eyes are now on Washington as the Trump administration sends inconsistent signals that give onlookers whiplash. Additionally, the bipartisan Senate bill to sanction countries that are still purchasing Russian energy has gained momentum in Congress. But with the August recess fast approaching, it will be a race to get to a vote this month.   To give us an update on the war in Ukraine, we're very pleased to welcome General Ben Hodges and Jana Kobzova.  Ben Hodges is a retired Lieutenant General in the United States Army and the former Commanding General of U.S. Army Europe  Jana Kobzova is the Co-Director of the European Security Programme and the European Council on Foreign Relations  This episode was recorded on July 11, 2025 

Constanze Stelzemüller, an expert on international relations from the Brookings Institution, and Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Foreign Minister of Lithuania, delve into NATO's current challenges. They dissect the recent summit's mixed results, emphasizing NATO’s unclear stance on support for Ukraine and defense spending. The duo highlights the necessity of unity among member nations to tackle threats from Russia and discuss the implications of shifting U.S. policies on European security. Their insights shed light on the complexities of transatlantic relations in these turbulent times.

This week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts is the second part in our series on the future of the New START treaty and the viability of arms control between Russia and the United States. If you haven’t already heard this week’s earlier episode with Frank Miller and Eric Edelman, be sure to give it a listen! In a Foreign Affairs piece from April, one of this week’s guests argues that the U.S. should pursue parallel nuclear arms control negotiations with Russia and China, given the deepening Moscow-Beijing partnership, the U.S. faces the realistic prospect of coordinated nuclear threats or a three-way arms race that could dwarf Cold War tensions. While New START's bilateral framework may be outdated, the piece suggests the window for meaningful arms control hasn't closed entirely—but it requires confronting the new reality of great power competition where America's nuclear rivals are increasingly aligned. This week, Rose Gottemoeller and Jon Wolfsthal join to discuss the future of arms control.   Rose Gottemoeller is a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Jon Wolfsthal is the Director of Global Risk at the Federation of American Scientists and an adjunct senior fellow at CNAS

On this week’s episode of Brussels Sprouts, we’re kicking off a special 2-part series on the future of the New START treaty and the viability of arms control between Russia and the United States. Tune in now to part 2 to hear the other side of this debate!  In a recent piece in Foreign Affairs, "No New START," this week’s guests argue that in the current geopolitical context, with Russia and China’s increased coordination, military capabilities, and aggression against the West, nuclear arms control only hurts the U.S.’s ability to deter them. With the possibility of conflict in more than one theater, the United States needs to reverse the material constraints put in place by New START in order to curb Russian and Chinese aggression.  So, this week, we’re very pleased to welcome Eric Edelman and Franklin Miller to discuss the U.S.’s future nuclear posture with Russia.  Eric Edelman is a counselor at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and was the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy from 2005-2009  Franklin Miller is a principal at the Scowcroft Group and served as a senior nuclear policy and arms control official in the Pentagon for 3 decades. 

Next week, on June 24th and 25th, NATO will hold its annual summit in the Hague. In the run-up to the event, expectations are low among allies. The ultimate goal is to navigate the Summit without major incident and walk away with unity still intact. At the top of the agenda is the historic new pledge to spend 5% of GDP on defense. However, not everything is in agreement going into Tuesday, with varying perspectives on Russia, and Allies anxiously awaiting the outcome of the U.S. posture review to see how a downsized U.S. presence in Europe takes shape.  To discuss expectations and potential outcomes for the NATO Summit, we’re pleased to welcome Julianne Smith and Camille Grand to the podcast.  Julianne Smith is the president of Clarion Strategies and the former U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO  Camille Grand is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and the former Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment at NATO 

China has remained a persistent—and increasingly complex—challenge. With looming discussions of tariffs and strategic decoupling from the U.S., European leaders are watching closely: How will Washington’s China policy evolve, and what does that mean for Europe’s strategic posture toward Beijing?  We’re very pleased to welcome Liz Economy and Noah Barkin to help unpack the evolving transatlantic dynamics on China.  Liz Economy is a Principal with WestExec Advisors and a Senior Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.  Noah Barkin is a Senior Advisor with Rhodium Group’s China Practice and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund 

The relationship between the United States and Europe is facing unprecedented challenges. While the Russian threat to Europe continues to spark fears of a broader conflict, NATO is simultaneously grappling with the implications of a United States that is less committed to European security. To discuss how Europe is reacting to the Trump administration and more, Andrea Kendall-Taylor hosted leading diplomats for a special session at the CNAS 2025 National Security Conference Bogdan Klich, Head of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of Poland The Rt Hon Lord Peter Mandelson, UK Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupsiene, Ambassador, European Union to the United States Watch the session and more at conference.cnas.org