Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular (CV) diseases, which are the leading cause of mortality among diabetic patients. Although hyperglycemia is a major determinant of macrovascular and microvascular complications in diabetes, hypoglycemia and glycemic variability have also a strong influence on the cardiovascular system. This overview presents the current state of knowledge on the impact of type 2 diabetes on the CV system and new therapeutic strategies that have been recently developed to correct glucose metabolism disorders in patients with high CV risk, such as glucagon‑like peptide 1 receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase‑4 inhibitors, and sodium–glucose cotransporter‑2 inhibitors. Results of several large randomized clinical trials (such as EMPA‑REG, LEADER, SUSTAIN‑6, and CANVAS) assessing the efficacy and safety of drugs based on new mechanisms deserve attention due to their beneficial effect on serious CV events, including CV death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. In addition, based on the results of recent studies and meta‑analyses, an attempt was made to answer the questions of whether the actions of new drugs are mediated solely by the glucose‑lowering effect and whether indeed glycemic control affects the survival of patients with diabetes and CV risk, which seems of key importance from the clinical perspective.