This week, Leo Litra and Lesia Ogryzko welcome Élie Tenenbaum, director of the Security Studies Center at the French Institute for International Relations, and Oleksandr Sushko, executive director of the International Renaissance Foundation in Kyiv and long-time observer of Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration, to explore if—and what—the recent NATO summit delivered for Ukraine. The gathering in The Hague reignited debates about the alliance’s future—and whether its European pillar is finally stepping into a leadership role. And, with Ukraine’s full NATO membership still out of reach, the country continues to seek strong security guarantees and deeper integration with Western defence structures.

Can a “coalition of the willing” can fill the gap? How can Kyiv position itself in a rapidly evolving transatlantic landscape? And what does Europe assuming more responsibility for its own security mean for Ukraine? 

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Amid much speculation surrounding Ukraine’s future—including ceasefires, peace talks and broader geopolitical shifts—ECFR has launched a new podcast mini-series that brings Ukrainian perspectives to the forefront.

In this opening episode, hosts  and Lesia Ogryzkowelcome Fredrik Wesslau, distinguished policy fellow at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies, and Volodymyr Yermolenko, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld and president of PEN Ukraine, to explore the roots and evolution of Ukraine’s remarkable societal resilience.

Together, they unpack how Ukrainian society has adapted, how global developments—from the return of Dondald Trump to attempts at peace talks—are perceived on the ground, and what the rest of Europe can learn from Ukraine’s experience. How did Ukraine remain so strong in the face of a full-scale invasion? What enabled Ukraine’s whole-of-society resistance? And what sustains Ukraine, over three years on?

This episode was recorded on June 20th 2025 

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In the latest episode of the WOMENP podcast series, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Dina Esfandiary, Middle East geoeconomics lead at Bloomberg; Yasmine Farouk, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula project director at International Crisis Group; and Dania Thafer, executive director at the Gulf International Forum. Together, they discuss how Arab Gulf monarchies used Trump’s latest visit to demonstrate their regional leverage—for example, Saudi Arabia leader Mohammad bin Salman emerged as a clear mover and shaker in brokering a historic meeting on Syria.

But did Saudi Arabia also make gains on the Palestine-Israel conflict? What are Qatar’s expectations as regional mediator on both the Gaza conflict and the Iran file? And how are Arab Gulf monarchies seeking to influence Trump on his deal-making attempts with Iran?

Listen to all past episodes of the WOMENP series here: WOMENP special website

Bookshelf

1. Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers
2. New Order in the Gulf: The Rise of the UAE
3. Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence
4. Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World
5. Love Stories on Al-Asha Street
6. Pieces in motion: Rebalancing power in a new Levantine order

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In this episode of the WOMENP podcast series, ECFR’s Ellie Geranmayeh speaks with Dr. Manal Radwan, advisor to the Saudi foreign minister and long serving diplomat. Together they unpack the impact of Donald Trump’s election for the wars in the Middle East and considers how Riyadh will position itself. Will the kingdom be able to push for a ceasefire in Gaza? What's the end game in Lebanon? Can the normalisation track between Saudi Arabia and Iran continue under Trump? And what are Riyadh's priorities for its bilateral security partnership with the US? Radwan also shares her reflections on her decades of engagement with peace negotiations in the region.

Bookshelf 

1. Radwa Ashour Grenada Trilogy
2. Mornings in Jenin 
3. The book smuggler 
4. Ibn Arabi Small Death 
5. WOMENP special website

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China is becoming ever more important to global affairs. But political and geopolitical challenges, as well as the covid-19 pandemic, have diminished Europeans’ ability to engage with Chinese thinkers and understand their views and ideas about the world. In this mini-series, Mark Leonard, Janka Oertel, and Alicja Bachulska try to change that by engaging in conversations with some of the best Chinese academics, researchers, writers, and journalists on the topics in Chinese internal debates that matter most to Europeans.  

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In this episode we are joined by Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University and one of the world’s most renowned scholars on realism in international relations, to discuss the trajectory of the international order and China’s response to it. What do Chinese leaders mean when they talk about “great changes unseen in a century”? How might China respond to the US strategy of “small yard, high fence”? And what is the role of populism in the emerging global order? 

The Essence of Interstate Leadership: Debating Moral Realism edited by Yan Xuetong and Fang Yuanyuan 

Leadership and the Rise of Great Powers by Yan Xuetong  

This podcast was recorded on 16 April 2024.    

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Europe’s Africa policy was greatly affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially as energy and food supply became weaponised as a Russian tool of aggression. In response, stronger bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation is needed between African organisations and countries and Western actors. Both parties should continue to accelerate existing objectives, like the 2030 Agenda, debt, sustainable development, health security, energy independence, political instability, and democracy and human rights. All these priorities, if well implemented through the G7 mandate, could also help Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni to finally succeed in tackling migration through a multilateral approach rather than a purely domestic one.  

In this episode, Elisabeth Sidiropoulos, chief executive of the South African Institute for International Affairs, and Maddalena Procopio, senior policy fellow at ECFR’s Africa programme, discuss how Meloni could advance her policy ideas on Africa through the G7 presidency.

This podcast was recorded on 30 May 2024

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xThe green transition requires massive investments in energy, digital, and transport connectivity to fill the gap in developing countries. At the same time, infrastructure projects are becoming weaponised by rival powers seeking to extend their influence abroad through the construction of railways, undersea cables, or renewable energy plants. China has been the pioneer in this effort, through its massive investment plan, the Belt and Road Initiative. The G7, conscious of the necessity to answer China’s infrastructural offensive and to mend ties with the global south, has launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investments. Italy, as G7 president, aims to be a bridge builder – literally and metaphorically – and is developing routes alternative to those sponsored by China.

In this episode, Alberto Rizzi, policy fellow at ECFR and author of the recent report on the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor, and Mohammed Soliman, director of the strategic technologies and cyber security programme at the Middle East Institute, discuss the importance of infrastructures and connectivity in the current fragmented global order.

This podcast was recorded on 16 May 2024

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The rise of AI has shaken national debates on regulations and security, pushed the European Union towards an unprecedent legislative measure, the AI Act, and driven competition between great and emerging powers. AI had also the potential to be a pandora’s box for new risks and challenges, especially amid the unstable geopolitical environment. Based on the results of the Hiroshima AI process, the final declaration on AI from Japan’s G7 presidency, prime minister Giorgia Meloni has prioritised the issue of AI in Italy’s 2024 presidency.

In this episode of our ‘Meloni goes multilateral’ podcast series, Maria Rosaria Taddeo, professor of digital ethics and defence technologies, programme director at the Oxford Internet Institute, and ethics fellow at the Alan Turing Institute, together with Gabriele Carrer, journalist and former ECFR visiting fellow, discuss how to tackle such challenges.

This podcast was recorded on 3 June 2024

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Two years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the international community remains deeply divided on how to react to Putin’s aggression. Disagreements have characterised the European position, prompting strong criticism about the European Union’s incapacity to react, act, and lead with a strong and united position. In the United States, measures to support Ukraine have also been blocked because of bipartisan division; China still sends weapons-related exports to Russia; and many countries take strong pro-Russia positions. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s support to Ukraine has surprised many observers who did not believe in her commitment to a free and sovereign Ukraine. As the war becomes one of attrition, she should use her G7 presidency to harmonise and expand its role, not only in condemning Russia, but also on supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction.

In this episode, Arturo Varvelli, who heads the Rome office at ECFR, and Lesia Ogryzko, an ECFR visiting fellow and head of the International Cooperation Department of the RISE Ukraine Coalition and a fellow at the Centre for Defence Strategies, discuss what to expect from Meloni on support to Ukraine.

This podcast was recorded on 9 May 2024

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How has the war impacted the way Russians think about their identity and their future? Are some signs of major change already visible? What are the possible scenarios for change and what would trigger them?

ECFR’s podcast on Russia, “Under the Overcoat”, explores the deeper trends beneath the surface of daily politics. To explore how the war has transformed Russia's society and political culture and outline possible scenarios for its medium to long term political trajectory, our host Kadri Liik is joined by ECFR visiting fellows Mikhail Komin, Ksenia Luchenko, and Kirill Shamiev. 

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