NATO is saved! Or was it one big Trumpian Freudian slip as the US Prez cuts off trade with Spain (can he?) and calls Zelensky “Putin”? And while French courts decide a convicted embezzler can run for President, what will the French themselves decide?

A European President & an American comedian what on earth is going on (and what comes next).

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:30 Coming up...
• 00:02:39 NATO Summit debrief
• 00:16:39 Marine le Pen: Resurrection
• 00:21:37 Europe's Right Wing Parties
• 00:23:33 Nigel Farage
• 00:26:34 Previous Stories UPDATE
• 00:29:32 World Cup brouhaha
• 00:32:14 Credits

Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift)

Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/)

Facebook TheContinentalRift (https://www.facebook.com/TheContinentalRift/)

X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow)

CREDITS

• Editor Conan Roberts
• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella
  
  

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

Will Trump actually show up to the NATO summit and is Washington really floating a "defence loyalty programme"? Also, can neutral Ireland credibly chair Europe's defence debate as it takes the EU chair?

A former President & a comedian on what's going on and what comes next.

Subscribe so you don't miss our Ankara NATO summit debrief next week.

CLARIFICATIONS

Irish corporate tax — Ireland had the lowest corporate tax rate in the EU when the American tech giants set up their European headquarters there. Today the EU's lowest headline rates are Hungary's (9%) and Amazon's European HQ is in Luxembourg, not Ireland.

Alumina and Rusal — Sweden's tax authority, Skatteverket, has ruled that Rusal's European operations (which include the Irish plant) should fall under EU sanctions, and froze €5.1m in the tax account of its Swedish smelter, Kubal. It's an agency ruling with EU-wide implications rather than a formal Swedish Government request for action to the EU.

Ireland's waters — Ireland's waters (not coastline) make up roughly 16% of the EU's total.

NATO — The Secretary General’s term is 4 years and, following Sweden’s accession in 2024, the organisation now has 32 members.

Putin's yacht — Since this episode was published, latest reporting is that the yarcht is heading to the Artic, not the Med.

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:02:30 Putin's yacht
• 00:05:05 NATO Summit: the pre-amble
• 00:13:10 Toomas' dramatic NATO Summit
• 00:15:16 Ireland takes the EU Presidency
• 00:23:05 Revisit: The Balkan-US grift
• 00:26:52 Was the American Revolution all about defence spending?
• 00:28:19 Credits

Youtube @TheContinentalRift (https://www.youtube.com/@TheContinentalRift)

Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod (https://www.instagram.com/thecontinentalriftpod/)

Facebook TheContinentalRift (https://www.facebook.com/TheContinentalRift/)

X @ContRiftShow (https://x.com/ContRiftShow)

CREDITS

• Editor Conan Roberts - https://conanroberts.com/Homepage
• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella https://www.freshlens.film/
  
  

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

Ten years (and 6, soon 7, Prime Ministers) later was Brexit worth it and how did it change Europe? Also, why is Europe's hard right suddenly speed-walking away from Donald Trump?

A former President & a comedian on what's going on and what comes next.

CLARIFICATION

Zelensky was not stripped of Poland’s Order of Merit, but of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honour, awarded to him in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda. Some Ukrainian officials returned Order of Merit decorations, while former Ukrainian presidents also returned their Polish honours in solidarity.

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:30 Heatwave
• 00:03:55 EU's Chief Diplomat
• 00:07:11 Ukraine vs Poland
• 00:09:55 Ukraine's EU Accession vs Hungary
• 00:11:20 Brexit Vote, 10 years on
• 00:18:05 Meloni vs Trump
• 00:25:42 Outro

Youtube @TheContinentalRift

Instagram @thecontinentalriftpod

Facebook TheContinentalRift

X @ContRiftShow

CREDITS

• Editor Conan Roberts
• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella
  
  

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

A comedian and a former president walk into Europe's biggest mess.

American comedian Andy Valvur’s oldest friend, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, grew up to become President of Estonia. Now, as the transatlantic alliance comes apart, The Continental Rift is their weekly, irreverent take on European geopolitics: the EU, NATO, Trump, Russia, and what comes next.

Serious politics, questionable hosts.

New episodes weekly.

This week EUBS asks why…

… did the US embassy quietly killed the dinners where diplomacy actually happens? And why do the Europeans count getting tariffed as a win?

Also…

Ukraine gets to try to join the EU, but can you fill in Europe’s paperwork while fighting for survival (and will French farmers be happy to acept. farming superpower into their club)?

And at the G7 in Évian, has holding the free world together really come down to keeping one man in a good mood?

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:30 EUBS: American diplomacy dinners end
• 00:03:21 EUBS: US EU trade deal ratified
• 00:04:37 Ukraine's accession to the EU
• 00:12:25 G7 in Evian
• 00:15:43 EUtopia
• 00:18:05 Credits

CREDITS

Editor Conan Roberts

Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer

Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)

Executive Producer Fred Casella

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.

Serious politics, questionable hosts.

This week EUBS asks why…

does Pete Hegseth equate the allied (including US) storming the Normandy beaches on D-Day to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny with migrants fleeing war; whether dressing some of his kids in US military uniform is good “optics”, and why the EU Parliament hosts groups with odd beliefs.

Also…

Is America Europe’s friend or, er… not?

https://ecfr.eu/publication/home-alone-europeans-are-ready-to-defend-themselves/

Ireland’s alumina scandal

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/08/why-ireland-is-under-fire-over-its-alumina-exports-to-russia

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/09/kaja-kallas-urges-ireland-to-get-the-facts-straight-on-alumina-sales-to-russia

Albania gets in a mess with Kushner & EU

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/5/why-the-kushners-plan-to-build-an-albanian-resort-has-sparked-protests

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:32 America, friend or....not?
• 00:05:12 EUBS
• 00:11:09 Ireland's alumina scandal
• 00:16:05 Albania's Kushner Resort
• 00:22:15 Other fun stuff & looking ahead

CREDITS

• Editor Valter Nõmm
• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.

Serious politics, questionable hosts.

This week EUBS asks why…

The EU insists on a fleet of EVs that cannot make the trip between Brussels and Strasbourg in on a single charge; why Albanians are protesting a Kushner real estate development and why Hungary’s President is appealing to European institutions to help him stay in post.

Also…

Russia’s Shadow Tanker Fleet

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/the-shadow-fleet-is-undermining-the-maritime-order-more-brazenly-than-ever/

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-01/frances-macron-says-french-navy-boarded-russia-linked-oil-tanker

https://kyivindependent.com/eus-last-shipyard-servicing-russian-lng-fleet-may-repair-up-to-6-vessels-before-ban-report-says/

Europe’s Single Capital Market

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-10-2025-0124_EN.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-29/eu-s-economic-powers-strike-deal-to-push-capital-markets-merger

https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/05/asml-ceo-christophe-fouquet-no-one-is-coming-for-us/

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:02:40 EUBS: EU's EV fleet, Hungary's President & Albania protests Kushners
• 00:10:54 Russia's Show Tanker Fleet
• 00:19:27 Baby Steps to joined up Capital Markets
• 00:30:38 Next week...
• 00:32:32 Credits

CREDITS

• Editor Valter Nõmm
• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Music by Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

A comedian & ex President (of Estonia, twice) - childhood buddies, American raised now living in Europe - riff on the 'divorce' between the US & Europe.

Serious politics, questionable hosts.

This week…

Drones fall on Baltics & Finland while US disengages

https://novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/2026/05/21/at-least-24-drone-incidents-recorded-in-the-baltic-states-since-start-of-2025-en-news

https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/05/26/report-us-to-cut-strategic-bombers-and-warships-available-to-nato-in-a-crisis/

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/27/uk-spy-chief-gchq-russia-china-us-cyber-attack-security.html

The Pope, Peter Thiel & the AntiChrist

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html

https://firstthings.com/when-envy-turns-apocalyptic/

https://thecatholicherald.com/article/is-magnifica-humanitas-aimed-at-peter-thiels-techno-political-empire

• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Editor Valter Nõmm
• Music Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:01:28 Background to the Pod
• 00:04:27 Europe-US relationship when Toomas was President
• 00:05:55 Drones falling on the Baltics
• 00:10:08 Russian threatens, US disengages
• 00:19:04 The Pope, Peter Thiel & the AntiChrist
• 00:28:18 Next week...
• 00:30:36 credits

The relationship keeping the free world together is falling apart.

I’m Andy, a comedian. My oldest buddy - since toddlerhood - became a two-term European president. We grew up in the US as refugee kids (the USSR erased our country from the map), but now we live in Europe.

As the EU and the US 'divorce' we decided to stop keeping our conversations to ourselves. You're welcome.

The Continental Rift: serious politics, questionable hosts.

• Animation & Design Roland Seer - Tartu Multifilm @rolandseer
• Editor Valter Nõmm
• Music Paabel @paabeltheband (Estonian folk-fusion)
• Executive Producer Fred Casella

© Fresh Lens Film Sàrl 2026 all rights reserved