applying

The Russian Federation resumes its invasion of Ukraine with little concern for the country’s sanctions, loss of soft power, and numerous military losses. Despite spending much of 2025 attempting to decouple Russia from China, the Kremlin has not reciprocated with goodwill to the Trump Administration. Instead, Moscow continues to stall negotiations to buy time to complete its military objectives.

Instead, Moscow can be brought under pressure for a negotiated settlement or full military withdrawal from Ukraine by limiting Russian influence as much as possible through its defense alliance, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). A coalition that is thinly held together, CSTO has increasingly fractured in Moscow’s orbit, and the West has a chance to pressure the Russian government by isolating Russia from its own military alliance.

Ongoing Attempts to End the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Against the backdrop of Donald Trump assuming the presidency for the second time, the Administration has made a key goal to try to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine as quickly as possible. Originally trying to decouple Russia from China, the Administration attempted to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table by voting against a United Nations resolution condemning the invasion, reducing weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and applying more pressure on Kyiv than Moscow.

Instead, Washington has found itself at a crossroads as the Kremlin has continued an aggressive posture, even when the U.S. government publicly ambushed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an attempt to bring Moscow to the table.

The Alaska Summit was intended to find a close solution to ending the war in Ukraine—potentially frozen lines akin to those on the Korean Peninsula, without guaranteed NATO membership for Kyiv. Still, Moscow’s demands included no Western troops providing peacekeeping, full sanctions lifting, and the entirety of the Donbas region, which Russian forces still do not control fully, including the remaining fortress cities under Ukrainian control.

Seeking options to finally bring Moscow to concrete talks, the U.S. and Western governments should utilize their global soft power by decoupling countries long considered Russian vassals and helping them grow more independent of Russia.

Russia is Losing Control of Its Former Sphere of Influence

During the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has suffered militarily and diplomatically. Countries that were initially hesitant to upset the Kremlin have begun to reassess their relations with Moscow, including some CSTO member states.

Formed in 2002, the CSTO comprises Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia as its member states. However, not all members of CSTO have been synchronized and on the same page.

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have experienced numerous border clashes due to the Soviet Union’s reconfiguration of their perimeter. Belarus and Armenia are engrossed in a diplomatic conflict, and Kazakhstan has pushed back against Russia’s historical revisionism, moving closer to China. Furthermore, due to numerous inactions taken by Russia during the Second Karabakh War, Armenia has not only strained relations with the former but also limited their participation in CSTO.

Outside of the CSTO, Russia has also suffered military setbacks and lost influence in certain parts of Africa and the Middle East. Russian mercenaries are taking heavy casualties in the Sahel with their junta allies in Mali and Sudan on the back foot against jihadists, Tuareg separatists, and the Sudanese army, respectively.

Against the backdrop of the collapse of the Ba’athist Syrian military, Russia would lose its strategically important naval base in Tartus and its only military stronghold in the Middle East. Without Syria, not only is Russia’s Mediterranean fleet limited in maritime maneuvers, but also the shadow fleet of tankers will not have a key base to dock and export fuel to continue the Kremlin’s war effort.

How to Bring CSTO Nations into the Fold

Russia’s costly and miscalculated invasion and prolonged occupation have only isolated the country into a de facto vassal status of China. With waning Russian influence, the West can use rapprochement policies towards CSTO countries to decouple them from the Kremlin’s orbit.

In Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan have developed closer relations with China and Turkey; however, pivotal Western policies, such as the United States’ promotion of sovereignty without Russian interference in 2023, have also played an integral role in enhancing relations in the region. President Trump could continue advancing this Biden Administration policy that further sidesteps Russia while ongoing trade negotiations continue.

In the South Caucasus, the economic corridor submitted between Azerbaijan and Armenia as part of a planned peace agreement has excluded Russia from the finalized documents. The Trump Administration scored a key diplomatic victory after years of the U.S. government’s rapprochement with Armenia following the 2020 war.

France has played a key role in American relations in the South Caucasus, as Paris is at the forefront of limiting Russian influence in the region, as Moscow has done the same towards French soft power in Africa. With Armenia’s government showing signs of wanting to transform into a full Western democracy with potential European Union membership, the U.S. should, in the future, promote Yerevan towards non-NATO ally status.

Regarding Belarus, its armed forces have shot down more Russian drones than NATO during the ongoing invasion. Alexander Lukashenko, the longtime leader of Belarus, arguably sticks close to Russia after decades of isolation from Europe due to his authoritarian policies.

Nevertheless, the West could initiate a slow and gradual process of rapprochement with Belarus—neither lifting sanctions, but offering Lukashenko amnesty and potential exile in a comfortable villa if the Belarusian autocrat promotes democratic norms and gradually drifts away from Russia.

Utilizing soft power, not just through sanctions, is a policy the West can use going forward to apply pressure on Russia. With Moscow’s drifting soft power in several regions while relations with CSTO continue to drift, the United States and Europe have an opportunity for rapprochement to isolate the Kremlin further and bring the Russian government to get serious in negotiations for their invasion of Ukraine, finally.

THE number of summer jobs available has fallen to the lowest level for seven years, as cautious firms cut back on hiring.

Figures from job-matching platform adzuna.co.uk show seasonal vacancies down by 13 per cent on 2024, but there are still more than 20,000 roles on offer nationwide.

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The temporary roles can boost your CV, help you learn new skills and even open up a permanent role.

Adzuna’s Andrew Hunter said: “A summer job might not seem like a big deal, but it’s one of the smartest moves a young jobseeker can make right now.

Beyond the extra cash, these roles offer a chance to build up the kind of soft skills that AI can’t replicate — emotional intelligence, communication, interpersonal skills and teamwork.”

Among the roles which are seeing a surge in hiring are lifeguards, festival crew, theme park assistants and hospitality staff.

Here are Sunemployment’s top tips to land a summer job to supercharge your career . . . 

Seek out a summer role which can lead to long-term work: Not all seasonal roles end when the sunny weather does. Big firms will often have year-round opportunities.

For example, start serving drinks in a beach bar, then move on to an apprenticeship or front-of-house role for a pub or restaurant chain.

Try an alternative industry: They may not seem like an obvious choice, but plenty of sectors from trains, airlines, hotels and coaches to gardeners, warehouses and call centres recruit for the summer.

All of these offer permanent contracts to summer staff.

Use a recruiter: Fed up applying for summer roles then getting ghosted? Recruitment consultants can put your CV in front of hiring managers to speed up the whole process.

Zahida Ahmed joined South Western Railway aged 21 as a temporary event supervisor through Adecco.

Although the initial job only lasted a week, she continued to work through the recruiter and is now a contract consultant with the firm.

Zahida, from Sunbury, Surrey, said: “My summer job was transformative and allowed me to step confidently into the working world and discover a career path I hadn’t considered before.”

Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, said: “Recruiters can offer people from every background a chance at a job by working at a festival, concert or sporting event this summer, or something calmer in an office, shop or construction site.

“Agency work is a fantastic way to get experience over the summer in ways that suit you — and even kick-start your career.”

HOLIDAY park operator Haven has 1,200 roles on offer. There are positions in areas including food and beverage, activities and leisure, security and accommodation services.

Ed Camp, 28, joined the firm in summer 2019 on a seasonal contract as a commis chef at the Littlesea park’s Mash And Barrel restaurant.

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He was later offered a permanent job and put on the Grow to Team Manager talent programme. He is now the restaurant’s kitchen team leader managing 16 staff. Ed said: “I’m excited to see where my journey takes me next.”

Apply at jobs.haven.com.

SIX TIPS RELATIVE TO WORK

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THIS week saw the Gallagher brothers take to the stage together for the first time in 16 years. While working with family isn’t always so stressful, it may still throw up extra challenges.

Peter Duris, co-founder of Kickresume.com, said: “A family member on your team means having a colleague you can really trust.

“But, as in the case of Oasis, it can also mean spending too much time together or making big, stressful decisions with someone who knows how to push your buttons.”

Here, he shares his advice.

1. Set clear boundaries between your work and personal life: If your co-workers are family, it’s a necessity.

You might choose to use email only for work-related communication, while using your phone’s messaging apps for things like planning your dad’s birthday party.

2. Make sure the fact that you’re family doesn’t shape how you treat each other at work, so you don’t favour family members over others.

3. Keep your professional expectations the same: Never expect more or less because someone is family. Expecting more might make things more stressful and harm your personal relationship.

4. Be mindful of your past: Working with someone who knows you really well can be stressful, especially if there is already some tension between you.

For instance, if you’ve always had a bit of a competitive relationship with your sibling, or maybe grew up feeling like you were compared to each other, working together can be very tricky.

If you find yourself getting wound up, it might help to stop and think, “What am I really annoyed about?” When working on a project together, focus on your shared goals.

5. Consider your policies: Many UK companies have policies relating to family members, such as banning direct relatives being line managers over each other. These help you prevent a conflict of interest when it comes to issues like pay rises or performance reviews.

6. Sort your succession planning: If you work for a family business where multiple generations are involved, take professional advice on succession planning to avoid damage down the line.

MAKE FAST ‘BUCKS

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Starbucks has opened applications for its accelerated leadership programme – a fast track for future store managers.

The course offers a Level 3 management qualification which usually takes three years to achieve – but 20 trainees will be able to get it in 13 months.

Positions are available in major cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow. No previous hospitality or work experience is required.

Alex Rayner, general manager of Starbucks UK, said: “Whether you’re leaving school or exploring a fresh start, Starbucks is a place where you can work with great people.”

Apply by July 21 at corndel.foleon.com/starbucks/starbucks-learner-hub.

While Wimbledon bosses have confidence in their security provisions, which are reviewed annually, the issue has come into sharper focus this year.

It is estimated that around 1,000 people work in the field of security to some extent across the Championships.

In addition to the screening around the ballot, there are also more checks and balances when it comes to those in the queue.

Anyone gaining entry to the Championships that way will have to be registered with Wimbledon – meaning they’ve had to provide personal information.

In the grounds, as well as police and military personnel, there are other discreet members of the security team.

A team of fixated threat specialists are hired in and can assist the player escort team.

There are also behavioural experts who are trained to spot people acting strangely.

There is significant CCTV coverage on site, and if there are concerns around a particular player then a specific CCTV sweep will be done of the seats near to the player and their box.

On court, protection officers are positioned near the players, with more on Centre Court and No.1 Court.

If something spontaneous happens on site, there are response teams walking round the grounds who can come and support staff.

Security teams are also in regular contact with the referees’ office to discuss issues like scheduling.