Summary: "Russia’s Future: A Challenge for U.S. Policy"June 12, 2025 Bush School, Texas A&M (Washington, DC)

The June 12 conference *“Russia’s Future: A Challenge for U.S. Policy”*, hosted by the Jamestown Foundation alongside Delphi Global Research Center and the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, brought together policymakers, security experts, and representatives of non-Russian ethnic groups to examine the Kremlin’s trajectory and its impact on U.S. strategy. Held at Texas A\&M’s Washington, DC campus, the event opened with remarks by former Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga and Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova.

Throughout the day, speakers outlined several key scenarios for Russia’s political future, from internal destabilization and regime fragmentation to continued authoritarian consolidation. Analysts such as Janusz Bugajski, Ilya Ponomarev, and Fred Starr warned that Russia’s current structure as a centralized empire is both unsustainable and dangerous for its neighbors, and urged the U.S. to consider strategies beyond engagement with Moscow’s central authorities.

Panels featured voices from historically suppressed nations inside Russia, including representatives of the Circassian, Buryat, Chechen, and Tatar movements. These groups called for greater international recognition of their aspirations for independence and self-governance, portraying Russia not simply as a geopolitical aggressor but as a modern colonial empire.

A roundtable on Ukraine emphasized the country’s crucial role on the front line of Russian expansionism and highlighted how Ukraine’s success or failure would shape the future of Eurasian security. Panelists stressed that Washington must sustain and expand its support, not only militarily but diplomatically, to uphold Ukrainian sovereignty and broader regional stability.

The final discussions turned toward crafting a coherent U.S. policy. Speakers including former diplomats Daniel Fried and Michael Carpenter, along with Atlantic Council and Hudson Institute experts, discussed the strategic necessity of anticipating Russia’s internal disintegration and supporting decolonization efforts where feasible. The event closed with agreement among participants that Western strategy must evolve to confront not only the Kremlin’s foreign policy but its foundational imperial structure.

No major policy shifts were announced, but the conference made clear that voices from within Russia’s periphery are gaining traction in Washington and are beginning to shape new thinking about long-term U.S. and allied strategy.