Visegrad Insight Podcast

Weekly outlook by Miles R. Maftean and Adam Jasser : Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion and subsequent exile in Belarus spotlight Putin's weakening grip on power, amplified by Russia's war with Ukraine. The shift towards Belarus' President Lukashenka's role, who resolved the rebellion and now hosts Prigozhin, exhibits his growing significance in Putin’s scheme. Amid this turmoil, Uk...

Weekly outlook by  Miles R. Maftean and Wojciech Przybylski : Poland and Hungary amplified their objection to an EU asylum deal, wrongly labelling it as imposed migration from south to central Europe. Polish leader Jarosław Kaczyński proposed a referendum on the value in an attempt to boost his struggling election campaign. However, a poll revealed that just a third of Poles backed his challenging...

Weekly outlook by Adam Jasser and Miles R. Maftean : Ukrainian forces have breached Russian lines in a counter-offensive amid severe ecological warfare showcased by the Kakhovka dam explosion. Polish President Duda discussed NATO’s Ukraine offer with French President Macron and German Prime Minister Scholz in Paris. A pending EU court ruling on June 15th will decide the legality of certain pre-200...

Weekly outlook by Miles R. Maftean, Wojciech Przybylski, and Agnieszka Homanska : We unpack how an estimated 500,000 demonstrators have stormed Warsaw and other Polish cities in a unified outcry against the PiS party's escalating authoritarian tendencies. These gatherings, unprecedented since communism's downfall over three decades ago, signal a pivotal moment in Poland's political his...

Weekly outlook by Adam Jasser, Miles R. Maftean and Wojciech Przybylski: Poland’s controversial new law, dubbed “Lex Tusk,” allows a government commission to ban individuals from holding public office. This measure has raised alarm bells in EU capitals and Washington, as it potentially hinders opposition candidates from running in upcoming elections.  Read more on this Lex Tusk law  in Wojciech Pr...

Weekly outlook by Miles R. Maftean and Wojciech Przybylski : The pull between unity in the EU and unilateral action continues, with Hungary blocking the ammunition package for Ukraine and saying it will veto the EU’s 11th sanctions package against Russia. Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy continues his tour in the far East where the larger community of democracies stands firm and backs Ukraine, this...

The latest tremors are shaking the illiberal union of Hungary and Poland. Major European powers are ramping up their support for Ukraine, dramatically underscored by Germany's generous packages announced during President Zelenskyy's recent visit to Berlin. Tensions rise in the first round of the Turkish elections, with Erdogan maintaining a slight lead over his rival Kilicdaroglu, leading...

The ongoing saga between the EU and Hungary over access to post-pandemic recovery funds continues. Hungary's legal tricks continue with complex judicial reforms added to a bill at the last minute. Historic elections are underway in Turkey. Tensions in the Polish ruling party coalition continue. In the second part of the podcast, Visegrad Insight's Agnieszka Homańska sits down with esteemed...

Outrage and condemnation from CEE after Chinese Ambassador Lu Shaye claimed former-Soviet states do not exist. Poland’s nationalist government is becoming increasingly erratic on the domestic and international scene as opinion polls show it may find it hard to retain power in the October elections after angering farmers, a key electorate, over Ukrainian grain imports. In the second part of the pod...

EU rejects the bans on Ukrainian grain imports introduced by Poland and Hungary. Hungary and Poland have been on opposite sides of the spectrum of reactions to Russia's war on Ukraine but remain aligned on their internal challenge to EU institutions. Reports mount of a bipartisan US Congress bill being drafted to sanction leading political figures in the Orbán's government. Last week, the...

The EU’s overall democratic security developments are impacted by the events in CEE countries. As the new EU Strategic Agenda is in preparation, the Visegrad Insight expert group scans for weak signals across multiple scenarios and recommends a relevant course of action. Editorial Director Miles R. Maftean and Deputy Managing Editor Adam Jasser discuss at length the first policy brief on the state...

Polish veto of the combustion engine ban. Eight PMs from CEE write an open letter against the CEOs of the largest social media companies to do more to fight disinformation. European cohesion with the ammunition plan for Ukraine. How the indictment of former President Trump looks for the CEE community. In the second part of the podcast, Marcin Krol Fellow Jan Farfal sits down with Nikola Dimitrov,...

Russia says it will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, a move seen in the West as yet another attempt at intimidation. Putin’s announcement seems to contradict the Russia-China statement from last week on the non-proliferation of nuclear arms. Putin visited his counterpart Xi Jinping and reports state that both sides made progress but did not conclude all agreements worth $165 billion. B...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met for over four hours in the Kremlin on Monday, ahead of formal talks today during which they will “draw up a new blueprint for China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership,” according to Beijing’s readout. Zelensky's reaction to the Beijing-Moscow axis. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin over his part in the...

PiS kickstarts its value-laden campaign, with its new slogan "Poland is the Future!" New divisions will be created in this divisive election, with PiS continuing down the culture war angle with the latest defence over the legacy of John Paul II. Polish Sejm adopted changes to the electoral law which will increase the number of polling stations and provide free transport on polling day for elderly...

Historic voter turnout in Estonia with the liberal Reform Party winning big. Polish opposition shuffles on the electoral lists. The main opposition parties, the centrist Civic Platform, The Left, the centrist Polska 2050, the agrarian PSL and Yes! For Poland!, agreed not to stand candidates against one another for the Senate to boost their chances against the ruling parties and its allies in the a...

Hungary in headlines once again - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing for PM Viktor Orbán to visit Kyiv for the first time in years. The Parliament of Hungary will vote on the ratification of the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, with Orbán's political theatre lurking in the background. What potential danger does this spell for Hungary's Visegrad relationships? Editor-in-chief Wojc...

US President Joe Biden’s secret visit to Kyiv. President Biden's riveting speech to a Warsaw crowd centered on how Putin will never win in Ukraine. What does this trip accomplish from a decision-making or institutional standpoint for Poland or other CEE members? Prior to the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, our Future of Ukraine Fellows (Bohdan Bernatskyi, Christine Karelsk...

The European Council issues a resolution in which they reaffirmed their support for Ukraine in its battle against Russian aggression and urged Russia to get all of its troops out of Ukraine immediately. A new package of sanctions against Russian strategic sectors and individuals will be passed on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw is at the center of gravity in CEE, with Pr...

Elections in Slovakia are set for 30 September, while Estonia and Lithuania prepare for elections on 5 March. The European Parliament voted in favour of more transparency in political advertising - what this means for upcoming elections and more. Ukraine's cabinet reshuffled - the Defence Minister will now be replaced by the Head of Ukraine Military Intelligence. The reshuffling occurs after a maj...

Petr Pavel secured the Czech Presidential office in a runoff vote interpreted as a referendum on Czech foreign policy. A significant win for Czech society, with a return to the spirit of decency and truth in politics. This is a striking resemblance to how President Zuzana Čaputová shaped her messages during a polarised debate when becoming the Slovak president. Wojciech Przybylski (Editor-in-Chief...

German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock said her country “would not stand in the way” of deliveries of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine from Poland. What this means for the future of arms delivery in CEE. Babiš’s blunder — on not sending troops to aid Poland or the Baltic countries if these came under attack. Hundreds of high-ranking officers were sacked from the military in Hungary, with t...

Retired General Petr Pavel scored a tight majority in the first round of the Czech presidential election on Saturday, coming ahead of former PM Andrej Babiš. The two are now poised to face each other in the second round of leadership in two weeks' time. Does this show the vibrant nature of democratic politics in Europe or is Czechia's democracy just lucky? A breakdown of the two candidat...

The resilience of democracies in 2022 was clear after a bounce-back from post-COVID times. But key elections for 2023 in Czechia and Poland will test this resiliency. The disinformation narratives that will plague CEE - anti-NATO, anti-American, anti-EU sentiments. The key sectors that will continue to be targeted by disinformation in 2023. The fight in Ukraine continues, both on its own grounds a...

Four scenarios of potential future developments in the Central and Eastern European region are presented in this episode, with the December 5 foresight discussion event co-ordinated with the German Marshall Fund. The highlights of the panel discuss future perspectives of democracy, security and prosperity in the CEE space and the region’s potential future role in European integration and the Weste...