In this episode, we look back on Donald Tusk’s meetings with Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, Xi Jinping’s call for Russia and China to become ‘friends of steel’, an important meeting of leaders in Kyiv, and the prospects of George Simion becoming Romanian President on 18 May.

In this episode, we look at Victory Day in Russia and who may or may not be attending. We also breakdown events happening at the same time in Europe, like a new treaty between Poland and France, as well as first round election results in Romania and the latest opinion polls in Poland – two weeks before the 18 May vote.

In this episode, we look back on the last 10 years of the Three Seas Initiative, as the forum celebrates its 10th anniversary in Warsaw – and in the same week that Donald Trump Jr. tours around the region… We also break down the state of play ahead of crucial elections in Romania and Poland.

In this episode, we explore relations between Poland and Germany with special guest, Bartosz Wieliński – Visegrad Insight Fellow and Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Gazeta Wyborcza. We break down how the politics of memory around Germany and migration has been weaponised, in the past and now ahead of Polish elections next month. We also look at what to expect from the new Friedrich Merz-led coalition, and whether it will live up to Polish expectations.

In this episode, we break down Polish expectations for the new German government. We also look at presidential election debates in Poland – including an unknown, pro-Russian unknown actor – and growing concerns about corruption in Hungary and Slovakia.

In this episode, we dive into the reactions and the reasoning behind Donald Trump’s tariffs. We also give an exclusive teaser of our Quarterly Brief, which analyses how the new US administration has reshaped European defence: inspiring investment in hard security, but also amplifying illiberal actors and their threats to democratic security.

Keep an eye out. Our brief, written with input from fellows around Central and Eastern Europe (some of whom you’ll hear from in this episode), will be out soon!

In this episode, we break down discourse on China in Central and Eastern European social media. We then dive into the increasingly important world of chips and semiconductors. We’re joined by Matej Šimalčík, Executive Director of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS).

You can find the latest CEIAS report, ‘Contested narratives about China on V4 social media’, at the link: https://ceias.eu/situation-report-contested-narratives-about-china-on-v4-social-media/

In this episode, we react to news that the European Commission is making a fresh push to free European savings – in the context of the ReArm Europe plan – as well as growing talk around military training. We also look at the deeper, economic issues Viktor Orbán is trying to cover up in Hungary.

In this episode, we discuss the changing transatlantic relationship, amid US tariff threats and the EU’s white paper on defence. We then cover the biggest protests in Serbia since the regime of Slobodan Milošević.

In this episode, we look at how democratic countries need to act when tackling illiberalism. We breakdown the Romanian government’s decision to ban far-right frontrunner Cǎlin Georgescu from the May elections.

We then respond to a recent report titled ‘When Democrats Govern Undemocratically: The Case of Poland’ – with input from Matthew Boyse, the report’s author and a former senior foreign service officer under Donald Trump 1.0. Find the report here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O1-Hev3KMPf8FSXSmP9XoyJmMQnJdcmF/view?usp=sharing