ECFR ON AIR

Eastern Europe’s future is up for grabs. Ukraine is fighting for survival—and for a place in the EU. Georgia’s protest movement faces intensifying government crackdowns, and Moldova continues to fend off relentless Russian interference. Meanwhile, energy shocks linked to the Iran conflict and Hungary’s repeated blockades inside the EU are making the region’s future even harder to predict.

In this episode, Jessica Hendrick welcomes Sophie Gueudet, research fellow at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies working on the RE-ENGAGE project and associate researcher at PeaceRep Ukraine at the London School of Economics and Political Science; and Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Ukrainian member of parliament and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on EU Integration. Sophie uses RE-ENGAGE’s four possible futures for 2035 to ask whether Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are moving closer to the EU—or slipping towards greater isolation and Russian influence. Ivanna argues that Ukraine’s European path remains its only way forward, but warns that war, political paralysis and slowing reform are putting that future under growing pressure.

Drawing on global oil price shocks, Hungarian politics, Georgian protest movements and Ukrainian wartime reforms, Jessica, Sophie and Ivanna discuss whether repeated crises are pushing Eastern Europe towards unity or fragmentation, why delayed EU decisions can weaken trust, and what happens when Brussels’ promises begin to lose credibility.

Will Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia be closer to the EU—or further inside Russia’s orbit—by 2035? Can citizen movements protect democracy when institutions fail? And how long can Europe delay before uncertainty starts changing the region’s future?

Further reading:

RE-ENGAGE research on Eastern Europe 

RE-ENGAGE research on Georgia

RE-ENGAGE research on Moldova

RE-ENGAGE research on Ukraine

This podcast was recorded on March 30th 2026.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yemen is once again in a shifting geopolitical landscape: amid the increasing risk of military conflict between the US and Iran, rising tensions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and mounting instability across the Red Sea. In this episode of the WOMENP podcast, ECFR visiting fellow Cinzia Bianco welcomes Yasmeen Al-Eryani, co-executive director, knowledge production at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and Maysaa Shuja al-Deen, senior researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. 

Together, they unpack what these developments mean for Yemen’s fragile political trajectory and wider regional security, and their key implications for Europe. The discussion explores how mounting instability can be contained and what the international community can do to strengthen legitimate governance structures in Yemen—thereby reviving a credible political process. 

Listen to all past episodes of the WOMENP series.  

This podcast was recorded on February 25th 2026. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of ECFR’s WOMENP podcast, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, associate senior policy follow at ECFR, Dina Esfandiary, Middle East geoeconomics lead at Bloomberg Economics and Yasmine Farouk, Gulf and Arabian Peninsula project director at International Crisis Group, to discuss regional perspectives around the current turmoil in Iran, following deadly protests and growing calls for US military intervention. What can be expected from the US military build up in the Middle East and the revival of Iran-US talks in Oman? What is Turkey’s position? And how likely is it that Arab Gulf powers can prevent a new war in the region? 

Listen to all past episodes of the WOMENP series.

This podcast was recorded on February 9th 2026.  

Must-read and must-see items suggested by experts: 

“What Iran’s Dead Loved and Fought For” by Arash Azizi

Iran protests coverage (Washington Post) by Nilo Tabrizy, Yeganeh Torbati, Meg Kelly, Imogen Piper, Asal Abasian

“The Fall of the House of Assad” by Robert F. Worth

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Taraneh: A Documentary by Directed by Pegah Ahangarani

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you measure democracy when air-raid sirens interrupt fieldwork, protesters are challenging the state and student researchers risk being labelled as foreign agents? Across six EU candidate countries, RE-ENGAGE is asking ordinary citizens who they trust, where they turn in a crisis and whether they still believe political change is possible.

In this episode, Jessica Hendrick welcomes Morten Bøås, research professor at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and lead of RE-ENGAGE’s comparative fieldwork across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. Morten argues that trust may be society’s strongest defence against disinformation—and that Brussels often spends too much time on reforms citizens cannot see while overlooking the everyday improvements that could stop frustration from turning into rage.

Drawing on surveys conducted by locally trained university students, interviews with EU officials and fictional crisis scenarios involving support from the EU, Russia, China and Turkey, Jessica and Morten go inside RE-ENGAGE’s largest research efforts. They uncover a surprising picture: Serbians trust almost no external power, Moldovans proved far harder to destabilise with disinformation than expected, and citizens across the region often place more faith in neighbours than the state.

Why do people who regularly consume propaganda know not to trust it in a real crisis? Why can visible anger be healthier than silent resignation? And what must the EU change if it wants to support democracy that citizens can actually see, feel and believe in?

The episode was cross-published to NUPI’s World Stage by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Further reading:

RE-ENGAGE research overview

This podcast was recorded on December 12th, 2025.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ellie Geranmayeh speaks with Syrian minister Hind Kabawat about the country’s turbulent first year after Assad, the challenges ahead, and her push to bring more women into leadership during Syria’s reconstruction.

In the latest episode of the WOMENP podcast series, Ellie Geranmayeh welcomes Hind Kabawat, Syria’s minister of social affairs and labour. Almost a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the new government faces both transformational opportunities and serious challenges. Syria’s once-notorious political prisons have been shut down, a preliminary national dialogue has begun, elections have been held, and the country has secured unprecedented sanctions relief. Yet major setbacks remain: the economy is under severe strain, and violent clashes have erupted between armed groups and government forces, as well as with Israel.

In this episode, we discuss where Syria stands after the turbulent events of the past year. What are the country’s most urgent priorities for achieving meaningful stability? How are regional and global powers shaping Syria’s immediate future, and what does the new government expect from Europe? As the only female minister in the current cabinet, Kabawat also reflects on her drive to bring more women into positions of power as Syria rebuilds.

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

Bookshelf:

The Enemy Syrians by Fawaz Haddad

Ma' Yarweeha (No Water to quench their Thirst), by Najat Abdul Samad

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s controversial 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine has rattled Western capitals and could jeopardise Ukraine’s sovereignty. In this episode of Ukraine inside out, Leo Litra and Lesia Ogryzko are joined by Eric Ciaramella, senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Jana Kobzova, co-director of ECFR’s European Security programme, to discuss the development and its implications.

What are the potential consequences of the proposed plan, and do Ukraine and Europe still hold any leverage? What are the risks of considering European security as a mere transactional deal? And how might credible security guarantees for Ukraine look like if NATO membership is off the table?

Tune in for an insightful conversation that uncovers the intricate balance of power, explores potential avenues to prevent a bad deal, and explains what it all means for the future of Ukraine and Europe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe has made a promise to the countries hoping to join the EU: reform your courts, fight corruption and strengthen democracy, and membership will move closer. But Ukraine can push through reforms during a war, Moldova can resist Russian interference, and North Macedonia can even change its name—yet political vetoes can still stop everything. At what point does a long wait become a broken promise?

In this episode, Jessica Hendrick welcomes Tiago Antunes, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Power programme and former Portuguese secretary of state for European affairs, with senior government experience across the prime minister’s office and Council of Ministers, as well as the European Parliament; Leo Litra, visiting fellow at ECFR and senior fellow at Kyiv’s New Europe Center; and Engjellushe Morina, senior policy fellow with ECFR’s European Security programme. Tiago takes listeners inside the political bargaining that can override a country’s progress. Leo explains why Ukraine and Moldova may lose faith if the EU fails to reward their reforms. Engjellushe shows what decades of delay have already done to public trust in the Western Balkans.

Drawing on Ukraine’s wartime reforms, Moldova’s rapid progress, Georgia’s democratic reversal and North Macedonia’s long wait, Jessica, Tiago, Leo and Engjellushe ask whether enlargement is bringing countries closer to Europe—or trapping them in an endless waiting room. They also examine whether promised benefits such as cheaper bank transfers and roaming are improving ordinary lives, and why the EU keeps demanding changes from candidate countries while postponing reforms of its own.

Can one EU government hold an entire country’s future hostage? How long can citizens be asked to reform without seeing results? And is the biggest obstacle to the EU’s next enlargement the EU itself?

The episode was cross-published to NUPI’s World Stage by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.

Director of ECFR Mark Leonard launched the first episode of The Neighbourhood on his podcast World in 30 Minutes.

Further reading:

RE-ENGAGE research overview

2025 Enlargement Package

This podcast was recorded on November 12th, 2025.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ukraine’s battlefield has transformed since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022: from hobby quadcopters to drone and robot units in almost every brigade. In this episode, Lesia Ogryzko and Leo Litra speak with Lyuba Shupovich, CEO and co-founder of Dignitas Fund, and Gustav Gressel, a former ECFR senior policy fellow. Together, they discuss how technology, like drone and electronic warfare, is redefining military tactics—and what Europe can learn, having faced several Russian drone incursions into NATO airspace.

What would a multi-layered, cost-effective air defence against drones look like? How quickly can Ukraine train NATO countries? And how can both Europe and Ukraine fix their financing gaps to reduce their dependency on Chinese components?

This episode was recorded on September 24th 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.