Talk Eastern Europe

To start of the episode, Adam and Alexandra talk about the prospect of foreign troop deployment in Ukraine, a historic border agreement between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, a further crackdown against opposition in Georgia, and the fleeing of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik to Moscow. Alexandra is then joined by policy analyst Alejandro Esteso Pérez, who specializes in the Western Balkans, EU enla...

Nina and Alexandra open the episode by discussing the ongoing negotiations in Riyadh between the US, Russia and Ukraine and providing an overdue update on the deteriorating situation for civil society and media in Georgia. They then talk about a potential final agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the assault of a journalist in Serbia. For the main interview, Nina and Alexandra spoke with...

In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start by discussing the latest news from the region – including the fallout from the tragic fire which killed 59 people in North Macedonia as well as the massive protests which took place in Belgrade over the weekend. They also look at developments in Hungary as the opposition leader appears to be gaining momentum, while the government outlaws Budapest Pride. La...

In this episode, Adam and Nina kick off with the latest headlines, including Ukraine’s ceasefire deal in exchange for renewed US military and intelligence aid, plus a NATO military chiefs’ meeting in Paris. They also break down what’s happening in Romania, the online clash between Poland’s Foreign Minister and Elon Musk, and wrap up with updates from Azerbaijan. Later, Alexandra and Nina chat with...

Nina and Alexandra open this episode with a discussion on the latest news, including the fallout from last week’s oval office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. They also briefly touch on the political situation in Romania, Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the conviction of Milorad Dodik which is being challenged by Republika Srbska. Later, Adam is joined by Isaac Stanley-Becker,...

This special episode marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The three co-hosts are joined by a group of Talk Eastern Europe patrons and Iryna Krasnoshtan, an analyst and foreign policy expert from the International Center for Ukrainian Victory. Together, they reflect on how three years of war have reshaped life in Ukraine, discussing the tensions between the US and...

In this episode, the three co-hosts discuss key takeaways from the Munich Security Conference and a historic meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They also touch on the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death, Serbia’s Statehood Day, developments in Georgia, and promising news from North Macedonia. Later, Nina speaks...

At the start of this episode, Adam, Nina, and Alexandra discuss developments in the Georgian opposition, the shifting US stance on Ukraine, cultural anecdotes from Russia, the resignation of the Romanian president and the Baltics' energy decoupling. For the main interview, Alexandra is joined by James Kerr-Lindsay, a leading author and expert in international relations, conflict and security t...

In this episode, Adam and Alexandra start out by taking a look at the latest developments in the region, including the protests in Serbia, the impact of USAID funding cuts in the region, including in Ukraine, as well as a new energy deal between the European Commission and Moldova. Later, Adam is joined by Nurlan Aliyev, an expert on security issues, a lecturer in the University of Economics and H...

In this episode, the three co-hosts Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova and Alexandra Karppi start with some discussion about the ongoing protests in Serbia and Slovakia. They also discuss the results of last weekend’s president “election” in Belarus. Later, Adam and Alexandra are joined by Oktawian Milewski - a political scientist specialising in Central and East European studies and author of the rece...

Happy New Year from Talk Eastern Europe! In their first episode back from the winter break, Adam, Nina and Alexandra bring listeners up to speed on Donald Trump's inauguration in the United States, presidential elections in Belarus and Croatia, and the ongoing protests in Georgia and Serbia. For the main interview, Alexandra and freelance journalist Mark Temnycky recap the war in Ukraine in 20...

Co-hosted by: Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova In this final episode of 2024, Adam and Nina discuss the key developments from the region in 2024, what to expect in 2025, and point out their favorite episodes from the year (see below). Later, Adam is joined by Tomasz Zając, an analyst at the European Union Programme at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). Tomasz discusses the upcoming...

Co-hosted by: Adam Reichardt, Nina Panikova and Alexandra Karppi In this episode, our co-hosts start with the latest news developments from Serbia, Ukraine and Georgia. Later in the episode, Nina chats with Julia Ivanochko, Editor-in-Chief of  Ukraїner po polsku , the Polish-language edition of  Ukraїner . They dive into Ukraine’s experience with Russian colonialism, how it compares to Western ide...

In this episode, all three hosts discuss a turbulent week in the region, starting with the Romanian Constitutional Court’s decision to annul the presidential election, followed by developments in Ukraine and Georgia. They also celebrate Bulgaria and Romania’s entry into the EU Schengen Area. Later, Alexandra and Nina talk with Aleksandra Wojtaszek, a Polish translator and journalist, about her boo...

In this episode, Alexandra and Nina start off with updates about the massive pro-EU protests across Georgia, speak about the recent explosion in the northern part of Kosovo, and touch upon election-related developments in Romania and Bulgaria. They close with news from Croatia, where the Health Minister was arrested on corruption charges brought by the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Later, A...

In this episode, Alexandra and Nina delve into the surprising results of the first round of Romania's presidential elections and examine the latest developments in Serbia following the collapse of the Novi Sad train station. They also discuss news from Ukraine and Russia and conclude with some uplifting developments from Northern Macedonia. Later in the episode, Adam is joined by Hleb Liapeika, a...

In this episode, Alexandra, Adam, and Nina discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, protests in Abkhazia, and the recent parliamentary elections in Georgia. They also reflect on the 35th anniversary of the Czechoslovak Velvet Revolution and other key events of 1989. Adam and Nina are later joined by Leyla Mustafayeva, acting editor-in-chief of Abzas Media, who shares insights into Azerbaijan’s crackd...

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUqj40e3GDQ In this special episode which was live streamed on November 14th 2024, Adam, Alexandra and Nina start off with a roundup of the news, discussing Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan Georgia, Serbia and Albania. Later, they are joined by our guests Zsuzsanna Végh and Pavel Havlíček. They discuss the consequences of the election of Do...

*Disclaimer – this podcast was recorded before the results of the US election were announced* In this episode, Alexandra is back and joins Adam with a brief discussion on the latest news in the region.  First they discuss the US elections – recorded on election day – and what might the vote mean for Central and Eastern Europe, especially Russia’s war in Ukraine.  They briefly examine European Comm...

In this episode, Adam and Nina start with the results of the Georgia elections. They also talk about Robert Fico’s appearance on Russia TV, Bulgaria elections and the political developments in Lithuania. Following the news, Adam and Nina interview Oktawian Milewski, is a political scientist specialising in Moldova, Romania and Central and East European studies. They discuss the results of the firs...

In this episode, Adam and Nina begin by discussing the results of Moldova’s simultaneous presidential election and the referendum on the country’s EU integration. They also talk about North Korea's involvement in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Quad format summit, and the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia. For the main interview, Nina speaks with Lukáš Diko, the editor-in-chief at the Inv...

In this episode, Adam and Nina open up with the latest news from the region, including the recent decision by Poland’s Prime Minister to stop granting asylum to refugees and the agreement between Italy and Albania to relocate migrants there. They also discuss upcoming elections in Moldova and Georgia.  For the main interview, Adam sits down with Tamar Jacoby, an American reporter and the Kyiv-base...

Adam and Nina begin by discussing the latest news: the floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the outcomes of the 2024 Warsaw Security Forum, protests in Hungary, and Lithuania’s decision to have the ICC investigate Lukashenka for crimes against humanity. Later, Nina interviews journalist and documentary filmmaker Apolena Rychlíková about her film Limits of Europe, which follows Saša Uhlová, an underco...

Nina and Alexandra open with the latest headlines from the region, including the de-linking of Albania and North Macedonia’s EU accession paths, the opening of the “foreign agents” registry in Georgia, diplomatic efforts by Ukraine, concerning announcements from Russia, and finally the Austrian elections.  Alexandra then speaks with journalist and educator Mate Halmos about the daily reality of li...

In this podcast episode, the three hosts discuss various topics: Georgia’s anti-LGBTI legislation, the ongoing human rights crackdown in Russia, the persistent tensions between Slovakia's government and opposition, and some unexpected news from Hungary and Albania. Later in the episode, Adam and Nina welcome Mark Galeotti, a leading expert on modern Russia, its politics, intelligence services, and...