Ukraine
Background
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe and the second-largest state in Europe after Russia. It borders Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova to the west and southwest; Russia to the east and northeast; and the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is the capital and largest city, and the official language is Ukrainian. The country covers 603,628 square kilometers and has an estimated population of 32.8 million in 2025.
In international affairs, Ukraine is significant as a large European state with a semi-presidential system, a transition economy, and an important position between the European Union, Russia, and the Black Sea region. It is a founding member of the United Nations and belongs to the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organisation, and the OSCE, while also having been in the process of joining the European Union and applying for NATO membership in 2022. Ukraine is considered a middle power and has one of the largest armed forces in the world, along with a sizable defence budget and a prominent drone fleet. Its fertile land makes it a major grain exporter, and disruptions to production since 2022 have had implications for global food security.
The territory has been inhabited since at least 32,000 BC and later became central to East Slavic political and cultural development under Kievan Rus' in the medieval period. After centuries of rule and partition by surrounding empires, Ukrainian statehood reemerged briefly after the Russian Revolution before the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic became part of the Soviet Union in 1922. Ukraine gained independence in 1991, adopted a new constitution in 1996, and experienced major political change during the Orange Revolution and the Euromaidan protests. Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in Donbas led into the full-scale Russian invasion that began in 2022, making Ukraine a central focus of European security and Russian foreign policy.
Timeline
Ukraine ceasefire prospects were discussed during the telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Remarks by Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the President of Russia, Following a Telephone Conversation Between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump
Documents
Remarks by Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the President of Russia, Following a Telephone Conversation Between Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump
Putin and Trump held an hour-long call covering the Iran conflict, Ukraine ceasefire prospects, and Venezuela's impact on global oil markets, their first since December 2025.