Talk Eastern Europe

Support our work! Join our patron community: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope What is the story behind Slovakia’s most famous musicfestival? In this episode, Nina speaks with Michal Kaščák, founder of Pohoda Festival, about 30 years of music, freedom, and politics in Slovakia. The conversation explores how Pohoda began in the 1990s during the Mečiar era, why the festival became a symbol o...

Hungarian voters have delivered a political earthquake. After 16 years in power, Viktor Orbán has been defeated, marking a historic turning point not just for Hungary, but for all of Central and Eastern Europe. In this special quick take episode of Talk Eastern Europe, we break down the key takeaways from the election results, including how Péter Magyar secured a constitutional majority and why vo...

Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope Sign up for the Brief Eastern Europe Weekly Newsletter! https://briefeasterneurope.eu/subscribe In this week’s Talk Eastern Europe news roundup, Adam Reichardt, Alexandra Karppi and Nina Panikova break down the latest stories shaping Central and Eastern Europe. We discuss the rising stakes ahead of Bulgaria’s snap parliament...

Help us grow! Support us: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope More than halfway through Donald Tusk’s term, Poland is entering a crucial political moment. The governing coalition is under pressure to deliver on its promises while navigating institutional gridlock, deep political polarization, and a rapidly changing international security environment. In this week’s Talk Eastern Europe interv...

In this week’s Talk Eastern Europe news roundup, Adam Reichardt, Alexandra Karppi, and Nina Panikova break down the latest developments across the region. We start with Ukraine, where growing tensions with the United States over potential peace conditions raise serious questions about future security guarantees and military support. With the war in the Middle East reshaping global priorities, the...

Albania is often presented as a success story in the Western Balkans, especially on its path to the EU. But what’s really happening beneath the surface? In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe , we dive into Albania’s evolving political landscape with researcher Gresa Hasa from the University of Graz. Following a landslide victory by Edi Rama’s Socialist Party, Albania is entering a new phase, one...

Talk Eastern Europe is a patron-supported podcast – please support us by becoming a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope In this week’s Talk Eastern Europe news round-up, hosts Adam Reichardt and Alexandra Karppi unpack major political developments across Central and Eastern Europe – from the high-stakes election dynamics in Hungary to massive anti-government protests in Prague a...

What do the Jeffrey Epstein files reveal about Slovakia? Inthis episode of Talk Eastern Europe, investigative journalist Karin Kőváry Sólymos joins us to unpack the surprising links between Epstein and former Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák. We discuss what the documents show, why the story matters, and how the revelations shook Slovak politics. Read Karin’s investigation in VSquare: https...

In this week’s episode of our new Talk Eastern Europe Weekly News Roundup, Adam Reichardt and Alexandra Karppi break down the biggest developments from across Central and Eastern Europe. This week’s topics include: Hungary’s high-stakes parliamentary election Poland’s defence bill veto and rising political tensions Serbia’s controversial judicial changes Georgia’s embattled opposition We also intr...

How does the war in Iran affect Europe’s security and Russia’s war against Ukraine? In this inaugural video episode of TalkEastern Europe , Adam Reichardt speaks with Marek Menkiszak , Head of the Russia Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. They discuss how the Middle East conflict is reshaping global attention, influencing energy markets and sanctions policy, and potentia...

In episode 257 of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Alexandrareact to the breakout of war in the Middle East and what it might mean from the regional aspect. They look specifically at relations with Russia, the war in Ukraine and also the South Caucasus, which borders the conflict zone. They also catch on the situation in Albania and discuss Hungary’s latest tactics ahead of the elections in April. Fo...

In episode 256 of Talk Eastern Europe , hosts Adam, Alexandra and Nina mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a heavy week of reflections – as well as some other news from the region. They discuss ongoing protest movements across the Balkans (includingfresh demonstrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina following a deadly tram derailment), tensions in Serbia, and wha...

In episode 255 of Talk Eastern Europe , Alexandra, Adam and Nina discuss the week’s key developments across the region, from Olympic results to the latest from the Munich Security Conference, including EU calls related to Russia–Ukraine regotiations and a high-level US visit to the countries of theregion. The second half features the first instalment of our special series commemorating the fourth...

In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe , Nina and Alexandra run through the week’s key stories, from renewed diplomatic manoeuvring around Russia’s war in Ukraine (and fresh EU support for Kyiv) to political turbulence in Bosnia and Hungary and concerns over media independence in Europe. The second half features an interview with political scientist and NEE contributing editor Tatevik Hovhannisyan...

In this episode, the co-hosts break down the latestdevelopments across Ukraine, Czechia, and Croatia, while Nina explores the regional implications of the Epstein files’ release. For the main conversation, Adam and Alexandra speak with Megi Benia in Tbilisi about Georgia’s accelerating democratic backsliding: from new laws targeting NGOs, media, and political activity to growing pressure on univer...

In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Nina, Alexandra and Adam catch up on some of the latest news, including the dire situation in Ukraine, the ongoing peace negotiations and President Zelenskyy’s meeting with Belarusian democratic leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. They also look at Montenegro’s progress towards EU accession and mention the resignation of Bulgaria’s president, setting up the mai...

Talk Eastern Europe is back for 2026! Adam and Alex open theepisode with a discussion on the news from the region, including Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Kosovo. Later, Adam is joined by Mark Temnicky, contributor with Forbes , to assesshow US engagement across Eastern Europe and the region is reshaping regional security. Mark argues that while Ukraine has made real concessions in pursuit of pea...

In this special final episode of Talk Eastern Europe in 2025, Alexandra and Adam sit down with Jasmin Mujanović on the margins of the Sarajevo Security Conference to discuss current security challenges faced in the region of the Western Balkans. The conversation looks at developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the ongoing protests in Serbia, and the broader geopolitical context shaping stability i...

In this near-final episode of 2025, the three co-hosts of Talk Eastern Europe reflect on the key political, social and geopolitical developments that shaped the region over the past year. They discuss waves of protest across several countries, the resilience of civil society, and the evolving security environment and geopolitical shifts since the start of 2025, including the impact of the new US p...

Help us reach our goal of 75 podcast patrons! Join us at www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope . Adam and Alexandra open this episode with the latest news from the region. They look at the importance of the mass protests in Bulgaria and later discuss Czechia’s new/old prime minister and balloons over Lithuania. They also briefly discuss the latest developments surrounding the peace process aimed at en...

In this episode, Adam and Nina are together in Brussels recording the latest updates on the news from the region. The biggest discussion is around the diplomatic flurry over the last week and the remodelled 28-point peace plan between the US, Russia and Ukraine. Adam reflects on the current situation and discusses what might be next. They also discuss Viktor Orban’s visit to Moscow Later, Nina sit...

Alexandra and Nina open the episode with a rundown of the latest news, including ongoing American diplomacy vis a vis Russia and Ukraine, the closure of the Hungarian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a new ruling by the European Court of Justice related to same-sex marriage, the election results in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania’s positive progress to...

This episode opens up with all three co-hosts, Adam, Nina and Alexandra, taking a look at a few headlines coming out of the region. They discuss the sabotage operation in Poland, the ongoing war in Ukraine in midst of an emerging corruption scandal, and the fall out of the EU’s new ban on multi-entry visas for Russian citizens. For the main interview, Alexandra speaks with regional expert Nurbek B...

This episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam and Alexandra begin with a roundup of key regional developments including Russia’s renewed strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and a major corruption scandal involving the state nuclear operator Energoatom. They also discuss Viktor Orbán’s trip to Washington and touch on shifting dynamics in the South Caucasus. In the main interview, Alexandra speak...

In this week’s episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam, Alexandra, and Nina come together to discuss the ongoing Serbian protests and explore the latest European Union reports on the progress of candidate countries, including those from our region. They also unpack the latest developments surrounding the Czech government formation and discuss recent updates from Poland. Later in the episode, Alexandr...