Global Hotspots: Unpacking Recent Developments in Ukraine

In this week’s episode, Milos Maggiore, Jared Jeter and Sebastian Dittgen take a closer look at some of the recent events surrounding Ukraine, including disruptions to its Starlink access and the possibility of future negotiations with Russia.

Elsewhere, in the Middle East, the U.S. and Israel are reportedly planning to resume a strike campaign against Iran, while in Yemen the Houthi rebel group continued its campaign to capture the city of Taiz.

In the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. and Japan conducted joint military drills centered on island defense, while Taiwanese authorities reported a large spike in cyberattacks ahead of the November Taiwanese midterm
elections.

In the Americas, Mexico and the U.S. stated they were close to reaching a trade deal, while Meta denied allegations that it had blocked social media ads by the campaign of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

– Explore the Global Forecast Monitor here. 

– Register for a 28-day free trial of the Geopolitical Forecasting Platform here.

Photo: Soldiers from a separate task rifle battalion of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region take a camouflage case off a Starlink satellite communication terminal to be set up at a combat position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, October 16, 2026. (Photo by Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform) (Photo credit should read Dmytro Smolienko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)