Visegrad Insight Podcast

On 16 October 2025, Budapest was announced as a centrepiece of global diplomacy when the US President declared that his Russian counterpart had called to discuss peace in Ukraine, apparently triggered by Tomahawk diplomacy. But what are the real motivations behind Vladimir Putin's and Donald Trump's visits to Hungary, a key EU and NATO member state, just months before Hungary's electio...

A quick overview of weekly developments and a special guest speaker of the Europe Future Forum . Tune in for an insightful conversation with Piotr Matczuk, CEO of the Polish Development Fund (PFR), as he discusses PFR’s pivotal role as Poland’s 'investment traffic manager.' Learn how PFR facilitates capital flows, supports Polish businesses in their international expansion, and attracts gl...

Readings: A New Gaza Rage Machine – with Polish Origins by Iván László Nagy https://visegradinsight.eu/a-new-gaza-rage-machine-with-polish-origins/ This Polish-German Border Community Still Believes In The European Miracle – LONG READ by Staś Kaleta: https://visegradinsight.eu/this-polish-german-border-community-still-believes-in-the-european-miracle-long-read/ Explore the global impact of Polish...

In this episode, Raluca Csernatoni shares her vision for the future of defence – what power and security mean in a world of new technologies and big tech. We also give our overview of regional events, including an informal defence summit in Copenhagen, and elections in Moldova and Czechia. Raluca is a Research Fellow working on the nexus between European defence and emerging disruptive technologie...

In this episode, listen to what Constanze Stelzenmüller has to say about the biggest threats to European security. Constanze is the Director of the Center on the US and Europe and Fritz Stern Chair at The Brookings Institution. She was also a speaker at our Europe Future Forum 2025:  https://europefuture.forum/ We also have our regular overview of regional dynamics, including upcoming elections, f...

This week, Staś Kaleta is joined by Noah Barkin to discuss the EU's strategy for China – after Donald Trump’s NATO ultimatum demanding China tariffs, as well as Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Poland. Barkin is a Senior Advisor in Rhodium Group’s China practice and a Visiting Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Programme at the German Marshall Fund. This podcast was recorded in Warsaw on the...

This week, as media reports suggest that the US is considering withdrawing its troops from the Baltics, we break down what presence the US really has on NATO’s eastern flank. We look at the large-scale military exercises being led by other NATO allies in the Baltics – in symbolic opposition to the joint Zapad drills of Russia and Belarus – as well as the fiscal difficulties European countries now...

This week, we look ahead to Karol Nawrocki’s visit to the White House, the first foreign trip of his presidency, which comes amid growing tensions between the presidential office and the government at home. We also comment on Robert Fico’s and Aleksandar Vučić’s expected attendance in Beijing for China’s military parade – siding with a revisionist alliance that forces countries like Poland to push...

In this episode, we break down a rollercoaster week for Ukraine – from the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington yesterday. We also try to explain why no leaders from central or eastern Europe were included in the group of heads of state to accompany Zelenskyy.

In this week’s episode, we look at how Central European leaders are positioning themselves ahead of a pivotal meeting in Alaska – between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, but no Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We also break down Karol Nawrocki’s first week as President of Poland, and what to expect from his visit to Washington on 3 September.

This week, as Karol Nawrocki completes his official inauguration, we look at what to expect from the next Polish President. We break down clues about what his foreign and domestic policy might look like, and how he changes the game for Donald Tusk – and Jarosław Kaczyński. We’re joined by Bartosz Wielinski, Deputy Editor in Chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, and Krzysztof Izdebski, member of the Board and...

In this episode, we look at how Central Europe reacted to the new EU budget proposal, breaking down media and government responses – from Warsaw’s celebrations to Budapest’s anger. We hear from Magda Jakubowska, Director of Operations at the Res Publica Foundation, and several Visegrad Insight fellows from across the region, including Iván L. Nagy, Marco Németh, Pavel Havlíček and Radu Albu-Comǎne...

In this episode, we’re joined by Marcin Jerzewski 葉皓勤, Head of the Taiwan Office of the European Values Center for Security Policy, as we look ahead to the EU-China summit. We break down relations between different Central European nations and China, and why much can be learned from Taiwan – as Beijing and Moscow continue to consolidate their axis of malign influence, and a delegation from the...

This week, we react to Donald Trump’s major announcements during a White House meeting with Mark Rutte – including the threat of tariffs on Russia if no deal is struck within 50 days, and a promise of big money equipment for Ukraine. We also break down the hopes of Central and Eastern Europe for the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework.

In this special episode of the Visegrad Insight podcast, Staś Kaleta talks with Szabolcs Panyi and Luca Soltesz , who reflect on the record-breaking Budapest Pride March and its wider political implications for Hungary ahead of the 2026 elections. They explore how the spontaneous mobilisation signals growing anti-government sentiment, the strategic silence of opposition leader Péter Magyar and the...

This week, Poland's EU Council Presidency ends, and Hungary's Visegrád Group Presidency begins – under a secret programme that Budapest has not shared with its neighbours. We look at how Viktor Orbán may try to spoil the European direction Donald Tusk has tried to shape over the last six months. We also look back on the NATO summit in the Hague, and the largest ever Pride parade in Budapest.

In this episode, we break down regional responses to escalating tensions in the Middle East, after the US bombed three of Iran’s nuclear sites. We also point out developing stories across the Visegrád Group – from Budapest’s Pride march to vote-counting irregularities in Poland.

In this episode, we look at growing warnings about the threat Russia poses – from Ukraine and Southeast Europe to the Baltics and Finland. We also breakdown regional reactions to ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

In this episode, we focus on tense political atmospheres in Poland and Czechia. In Warsaw, Donald Tusk has called for a vote of confidence after an election loss. In Prague, the opposition is looking to punish Petr Fiala’s government, after it was revealed that a justice minister received a secret €40 million donation from a convicted online drug dealer. We also breakdown Karol Nawrocki’s first in...

In this episode, we predict what Karol Nawrocki’s presidential electoral victory will mean for Poland, and beyond. You’ll hear comments from: Spasimir Domaradzki, a Researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw Krzysztof Izdebski, a Member of the Board and Director for Advocacy and Development at the Stefan Batory Foundation Edit...

In this episode, we discuss Donald Trump’s Ukraine strategy, whether he has finally realised Vladimir Putin is ‘crazy’, and what that realisation would mean for EU security. We then breakdown debates and rallies in the final week before Poland’s crucial presidential election run-off.

In this episode, our Visegrad Insight Enlargement Fellow Jan Farfal interviews Saskia Hollander, Senior Research Fellow at The Clingendael Institute. As the EU considers the gradual integration model for enlargement, we explore its potential benefits and risks. The discussion is based on the following Clingendael report:  https://www.clingendael.org/publication/gradual-integration-candidate-countr...

In this episode, we look at a weekend of key elections in Romania and Poland. To break down Nicușor Dan’s remarkable victory, we hear from special guests Alex Olaru (Editor-in-Chief at PressOne), Alina Bârgǎoanu (Visegrad Insight Fellow, Member of the advisory board of the European Digital Media Observatory), and Radu Albu-Comǎnescu (Visegrad Insight Fellow, Lecturer at the University of Cluj-Napo...

In this episode, we explore a redefined global security context with Róbert Ondrejcsák, Executive Director of the European Leadership Network, former Slovak Ambassador to the UK and former Deputy Defence Minister of Slovakia. We break down Xi Jinping’s call for Russia and China to become ‘friends of steel’ – in opposition to leaders in Kyiv and Washington – and the place of different V4 countries...

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.