WASHINGTON (March 17, 2025) – Last week CNN reported that Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, as proposed by the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. Prior to expected talks Tuesday, March 18, President Trump addressed reporters on Air Force One Sunday evening leading to the Wall Street Journal’s report that Trump said “a lot of work” had been done over the weekend and that the U.S. had talked to both sides about dividing up “assets,” such as land and power plants.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, commentary and analysis on the expected talks. If you would like to speak with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Shannon Mitchell at shannon [dot] mitchell
gwu [dot] edu (shannon[dot]mitchell[at]gwu[dot]edu).
Law
Laura A. Dickinson is the Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law and Professor of Law at The George Washington University Law School. Her work focuses on national security, human rights and the law of armed conflict. She can discuss why Russia’s invasion is a violation of international law that threatens to destabilize the post-WW II international order.
International Affairs
Robert Orttung, a research professor of international affairs, is an expert on comparative politics, Russia, Ukraine, energy security, federalism, and democracy. He can discuss Russian politics, Russian-Ukrainian relations and all issues related to urban politics in Eurasia. He can also speak to Vladimir Putin’s legacy and governance as well as the future of Russia more broadly.
Colin Cleary, Professorial Lecturer of U.S. Foreign Policy at GW. Cleary is an expert on Ukraine-Russia dynamics, Europe Energy Security and NATO. Professor Cleary can speak on the great power conflict and national security, NATO’s expansion–especially as it relates to Ukraine, and arms control. In addition to his expertise, Clearly has lived in work in Kyiv, Moscow, Poland, Romania, Spain and Ireland.
International Security
Alexander Downes, professor of political science and international affairs, is co-director of the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies at GW. Downes's book Targeting Civilians in War was published by Cornell University Press in 2008 and won the Joseph Lepgold Prize awarded by Georgetown University for the best book in international relations published in that year. Downes has written on a variety of subjects in international security, including civilian victimization, foreign-imposed regime change, military effectiveness, democracy, coercion, alliances, and solutions to civil wars.
Ukraine & Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Henry Hale, professor of political science and international affairs, director of the Elliott School's Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies. He has spent extensive time conducting field research in post-Soviet Eurasia and is currently working on identity politics and political system change, with a special focus now on public opinion dynamics in Russia and Ukraine. His work has won two prizes from the American Political Science Association and includes the books The Zelensky Effect and Patronal Politics.
Russia & Vladimir Putin
Thom Shanker is the director of the Project for Media & National Security at the GW School of Media and Public Affairs. He was named director after a nearly quarter-century career with The New York Times, including 13 years as Pentagon correspondent covering the Department of Defense, overseas combat operations and national security policy. Before joining The Times, he was foreign editor of The Chicago Tribune. He spent five years as The Tribune's Moscow correspondent, covering the start of the Gorbachev era to the death of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the communist empire in Eastern Europe.
David Szakonyi, associate professor of political science, is an expert on Russian politics. His research focuses on corruption, clientelism, and political economy in Russia, Western Europe, and the United States. His book -- Politics for Profit: Business, Elections, and Policymaking in Russia examines why business people run for elected political office worldwide, how their firms perform as a result, and whether individuals with private sector experience make different policy decisions. Other research looks at the effectiveness of anti-corruption campaigns, employers mobilizing their voters to turnout during elections, and nepotism under authoritarian rule.
Sanctions & Global Economic Impact
Scheherazade Rehman is a professor of international business and international affairs. She has advised a number of institutions including USAID, the U.S. State Department, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. She can discuss the sanctions imposed on Russia, how the European Union is responding to the crisis and larger global risk factors.
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