While Turkey may have expected that a second Trump term would mean improved ties with the White House, the first month of the Trump administration has shown us that Washington still views Turkey as an unreliable partner. In fact, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent engagements with the Middle East point to a regional strategy that seems to marginalize Ankara. Sinan Ciddi, a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on Turkish politics, joins Thanos Davelis to look into whether Erdogan’s Turkey is finding itself on the outside of the Trump administration’s regional strategy.

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Turkey Marginalized? How Trump’s Middle East Strategy is Rewriting Alliances

Germany's conservatives celebrate, but far right enjoy record result

Merz wins a messy election then calls for independence from America

Gov’t braces for Tempe anniversary protests

Gov’t braces for Tempe anniversary protests

Earlier this week Cypriot President Christodoulides was in Egypt where the two countries signed two energy agreements that he described as “pivotal”. The deals would enable the export of gas from Cyprus’s offshore fields to Egypt for liquefaction and re-export to Europe, and, as President Christodoulides posted on X, “are game changers for the region and beyond”. Dr. Theodoros Tsakiris, a professor of geopolitics and energy policy at the University of Nicosia in Cyprus, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why these two deals are important for Cyprus, Egypt, and the region.

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Egypt, Cyprus sign gas export deals, boosting Eastern Mediterranean energy cooperation

PM calls on EU to ‘move from words to action’ in defense

Erdogan's fight with Turkish business stirs economic concern

Earlier this week we saw Turkish police detain 282 people accused of ties to the PKK. This included journalists, politicians, and academics. These arrests are taking place as Ankara continues to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts. At the same time, they coincide with reports that a deal could be at hand over the country’s Kurdish question. Piotr Zalewski, The Economist's Turkey correspondent, joins Thanos Davelis as we look into this new crackdown in Turkey and its broader implications. 

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A new crackdown is gathering strength in Turkey

Turkey detains 282 suspects in a dayslong operation against Kurdish insurgents

Meeting Again in Paris, European Leaders Try to Recalibrate After Trump Sides With Russia

Macron holds new emergency talks on Ukraine

West’s ‘crisis’ coalition grows as Trump rails against Zelenskyy

Athens resists as investors swoop on the city’s ‘neighbourhood of the gods’

It’s safe to say that Steve Bannon, a one-time close adviser to Donald Trump and the voice of the MAGA movement, has a unique role in both the Republican camp and in driving the conversation in Washington, DC in the Trump 2.0 era. Kathimerini’s Iliana Magra, who met with Steve Bannon last week in Washington, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss her in-depth interview with Bannon, which touched on his views on Greece, Turkey and the region, and the broader outlook for the Trump 2.0 era and the MAGA movement.

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Steve Bannon: Greece would be finished in 10 years if Trump hadn’t returned to power

Turkey detains nearly 300 people in raids on PKK suspects, including opposition figures

Turkey detains 282 suspects in a dayslong operation against Kurdish insurgents

'We are back' Greek shipyards say after decades of pain

The past week has thrown the Transatlantic relationship into turmoil, with the shocks for Europe coming one after the other. First Defense Secretary Hegseth said the US is no longer the “primary guarantor” of European security. This was followed up by President Trump’s phone call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin that seemed to sideline Ukraine and Europe. Then at the Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D. Vance shocked attendees with a speech critiquing European democracy and effectively calling on Europeans to end the isolation of far-right parties. Steven Erlanger, the chief diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times covering Europe, joins Thanos Davelis with the latest analysis.

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Donald Trump’s assault on Europe

Vance Tells Europeans to Stop Shunning Parties Deemed Extreme

After Munich, How Will Europe Handle Trump?

European Leaders Meet in Paris as U.S. Pushes Ahead With Ukraine Plan

Egypt, Cyprus sign gas export deals, boosting Eastern Mediterranean energy cooperation

Top Greek scientist says the Santorini earthquake outlook remains uncertain

Greece’s two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council began at the outset of 2025. Since then, Greece has been at the heart of key discussions and initiatives - from playing a role in renewing the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus to the Security Council adopting its resolution on maritime security in the Red Sea. Lena Argiri, the DC correspondent for ERT - the Greek Public Broadcasting Company - and Kathimerini, joins Thanos Davelis as we break down Greece’s priorities on the Security Council, and explain what this means for the country’s global diplomatic standing.

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Greece begins two-year term at UN Security Council

UN Security Council adopts Red Sea resolution drafted by Greece, US

Cyprus and Chevron-led group agree on updated plan for offshore field

Cyprus and Egypt to sign natural gas commercialization agreements

Greek military eyes technological leap

World leaders met in Paris earlier this week for the AI Action Summit, a global summit on artificial intelligence. While France and the EU pledged to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in the AI sector, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was also in Paris, put a spotlight on how Greece is helping to shape European developments in this critical sector. Yannis Mastrogeorgiou, the Special Secretary of Foresight in the Presidency of the Greek Government and the Coordinator of the National Advisory Committee on Artificial Intelligence, joins Thanos Davelis to look into Greece’s broader AI strategy. 

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Greece is helping to shape developments in AI, Mitsotakis says

EU to mobilise €200 billion for AI investment

Athens and Nicosia set Syria terms

Athens offers support to rebuild Syria

NATO tests new deployment model without US ahead of Ukraine war anniversary

This past weekend voters in Kosovo went to the polls in an election that many saw as critical for the future of its relations with the US and the EU, but also when it comes to stalled talks with Serbia to normalize ties. Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who has pushed hardline policies vis-a-vis Kosovo’s Serbs, won the general election, but his party fell short of a majority and will need to find a coalition partner to remain in power. Expert Charles Kupchan joins Thanos Davelis to break down why these elections matter not just for Kosovo, but for the Western Balkans and the broader region.

Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University in the Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government. He previously served as special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs on the staff of the National Security Council in the Obama administration.

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Why Kosovo's Election Matters For The Region And The World

Kosovo PM Albin Kurti wins election amid tensions with Brussels and Washington

Serbia: Students mark 100 days since deadly canopy collapse

Trump Says Call With Putin Is Beginning of Ukraine Peace Negotiations

Trump and Putin stun Europe with peace plan for Ukraine 

President-elect Tasoulas calls for national unity and social solidarity

For the past decade, Cyprus, the EU’s easternmost state and the closest to the Middle East, has stood as one of the EU’s frontline states when it comes to the migration crisis. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza are now raising new questions about migration and regional security. Nicholas Ioannides, the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection of Cyprus, joins Thanos Davelis to break down these shifting dynamics on migration and on the security front, and explore how cooperation with partners in the region, the EU, and the US, is going to be critical in tackling these challenges.

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Hundreds of Syrians drop asylum bids in Cyprus since Assad’s fall, minister says

More than 1,000 Syrians have withdrawn asylum applications in Cyprus, another 500 have returned home

Poland will not implement Migration Pact, Donald Tusk tells Ursula von der Leyen

US leadership key to Middle East stability, experts say at 6th Southeast Europe Forum

Dendias highlights Greece’s strategic role in US foreign policy

Turkish Navy continues to shadow Greek surveys north of Crete

We’re coming to you from the sidelines of the 6th Delphi Forum in Washington DC, a two-day conference organized by HALC, Kathimerini’s English Edition, and the Delphi Economic Forum today, where the spotlight is on Greece, Cyprus, Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. This is a region at the crossroads of three continents and at the heart of exciting developments. Georgia Logothetis, HALC’s Managing Director, joins Thanos Davelis as we bring you the latest from DC. 

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Discussing regional developments in Washington

Greece presses France over missile sale to Turkey

Cypriot president- Turkish Cypriot leader say they’re ready for UN-led meeting to restart peace talks