Three weeks ago, Ukraine began its widely anticipated counteroffensive. Observers are watching for key developments on the battlefield as Ukraine attempts to regain territory, which is unfolding slower than hoped. Mike Kofman and Konrad Muzyka join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss how the conflict will likely evolve and what it means for Western resolve on the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts.

Mike Kofman is the Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at CNA as well as an Adjunct Senior Fellow at CNAS. His research focuses on Russia and the former Soviet Union, specializing in Russian armed forces, military thought, capabilities, and strategy.

Konrad Muzyka is the Director of Rochan Consulting and an independent defense analyst. He provides consultancy and advisory services on the Russian and Belarusian Armed Forces.

On Wednesday, June 14th, the German government presented the country’s first ever National Security Strategy, laying out Germany’s commitment to three key pillars: active defense, resilience, and sustainability. Following Scholz’s “Zeitenwende” paradigm shift, experts wonder whether Germany is ready to assume a more prominent role in the Euro-Atlantic security architecture. In the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts, Christian Mölling and Constanze Stelzenmüller join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss the future of Germany’s security landscape.

Christian Mölling is deputy director of the Research Institute and head of the Center for Security and Defense at the German Council on Foreign Relations. He is an expert on German defense policy, European security, and NATO.

Constanze Stelzenmüller is an expert on German, European, and trans-Atlantic foreign and security policy and strategy. She is the director of the Center on the United States and Europe and the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans- Atlantic Relations at the Brookings Institution.

In this special episode marking the podcast’s 5-year anniversary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend for a conversation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing response to the war from NATO allies, lessons learned from the conflict, and the future of the alliance.

Jens Stoltenberg became NATO Secretary General in October 2014, following a distinguished international and domestic career. As a former Prime Minister of Norway and UN Special Envoy, Mr. Stoltenberg has been a strong supporter of greater global and transatlantic cooperation. Mr. Stoltenberg’s mandate as NATO Secretary General has been extended until the end of September 2023.

Ambassador Julianne Smith assumed her position as the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO in November 2021. Prior to her current position, she served as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Blinken at the Department of State. Previously, she served as the Director of the Asia and Geopolitics Programs at the German Marshall Fund of the United States

On May 30-31, the fourth ministerial meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council was held in Luleå, Sweden. All eyes were on this meeting, after previous ministerials failed to produce concrete results due to fissures in transatlantic industrial policy. Items on the agenda for Luleå included artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and new initiatives for green transitions. To discuss the key takeaways from this latest TTC meeting, Fran Burwell and Tyson Barker join Carisa Nietsche and Jim Townsend in the latest episode of Brussels Sprouts.

Frances G. Burwell is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a senior director at McLarty Associates.

Tyson Barker is a senior advisor for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. He previously served as the head of the Technology and Global Affairs program at the German Council on Foreign Relations

The trajectory of the war in Ukraine hinges on the outcome of the widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Recent events spell trouble for Russia as Pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters launched attacks on Russian soil in Belgorod this week and the United States promised to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. With battlefield developments shifting daily, the future of the war in Ukraine remains uncertain. To discuss how all of this impacts the Ukrainian war effort, we are pleased to welcome Gustav Gressel to the podcast.

Gustav Gressel is a senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. His topics of focus include Russia, Eastern Europe, and defense policy.

Turkey’s presidential election is headed to a second round after no candidate won an outright majority on May 14. Ahead of the rematch between current President Erdoğan and opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on May 28, many observers are wondering what the results could mean for the future of Turkish democracy, society, and foreign policy. Steven Cook and Aslı Aydıntaşbaş join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this episode of Brussels Sprouts to discuss the implications of the Turkish presidential race.

Steven Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies and director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, as well as a Global Opinions columnist at The Washington Post and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

While transatlantic partners remain supportive of Ukraine, there are questions about the success of the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive. Many Western leaders harbor doubts about how a protracted war could impact the future of transatlantic support of Ukraine. In this context, how will the Ukrainian counteroffensive shape the future trajectory both of the battlefield and transatlantic unity? Michael Kofman joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss all of this and more.

Michael Kofman is the Research Program Director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses and an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

Macron's comments on strategic autonomy and Europe's role on Taiwan have sparked criticism amongst transatlantic partners. While the Biden administration and some European Union officials have downplayed the comments, questions remain over whether Macron's views reflect larger European attitudes on the future of the transatlantic partnership. 

Liana Fix is a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a historian and political scientist, with expertise in German and European foreign and security policy, European security, transatlantic relations, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

Tara Varma is a visiting fellow in the Center for the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. She focuses on French defense and security policy in the European framework, as well as ongoing efforts to materialize European sovereignty.

Following the release of the book, Evaluating NATO Enlargement: From Cold War Victory to the Russia-Ukraine War, we are discussing NATO enlargement from a historical perspective. The editors, Joshua Shifrinson and James Goldgeier, join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to evaluate the impacts of post-Cold War NATO enlargement on Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Josh Shifrinson is an associate professor for the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland. He is an expert on contemporary international security as it relates to great power politics, U.S. foreign policy, and diplomatic history.

James Goldgeier is a professor for the School of International Service at American University. He is a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s center on International Security and Cooperation as well as a visiting fellow for the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.