Talk Eastern Europe – Details, episodes & analysis

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 Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union. He highlights the Polish priorities and what to expect to see on the EU agenda in the next six months.

Check out the PISM Podcast – “Tu Mówi PISM”

Further reading:
“Europe in the Shadow of War: Poland Takes Over EU Council Presidency” by Tomasz Zając: https://www.pism.pl/publications/europe-in-the-shadow-of-war-poland-takes-over-eu-council-presidency

“It's all about security” published in the Brief Eastern Europe newsletter: https://briefeasterneurope.beehiiv.com/p/december-23-2024

Favorite episodes of 2024:
Episode 180: In the own words. Former Belarusian political prisoners share their experiences
Episode 190: Book Talk. Goodbye Eastern Europe
Episode 193: Spies, sabotage and Russia-West relations https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episodes/ep-194-life-in-orbans-masterplan
Ep. 194: Life in Orban’s "Masterplan"

Thank you to all of our patrons for helping us reach our goal of 60 patrons this year! Join our community here: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope

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 ideas of colonialism, and the main narratives about Ukraine that still linger today. Julia also shares her thoughts on how Ukraine is pushing back against these imperial narratives and working towards true national sovereignty. For those keen to delve deeper, Julia recommends the book Imperial Knowledge: Russian Literature and Colonialism by Ewa Thompson: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1620644.Imperial_Knowledge

In exclusive bonus content for our Patrons, Julia shares how contemporary Ukrainian artists are reclaiming their cultural heritage in the face of historical cultural erasure and the challenges posed by the ongoing war.  

Make sure to check out Ukraїner, a media platform offering unique stories, videos, and photography about Ukraine’s historical regions and its cultural context abroad: https://www.ukrainer.net/en/

You can also listen to their podcast Decolonisation, a series that explores why countering Russian imperial influence is essential for the future of global democracy. Listen in English via YouTube and Spotify, in Polish via YouTube and Spotify and in Czech via YouTube and Spotify.

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-based director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s New Ukraine Project. They discuss the current moods in Ukraine, the upcoming US election and its impact on Ukraine and how the West can help right now.

Read Tamar’s reporting on the Ukrainian drone industry: https://www.progressivepolicy.org/jacoby-for-new-york-post-ai-is-reshaping-drone-warfare-in-russia-and-ukraine-2/

Support our podcast! Join us on patreon: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope 

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In this episode, we look at the Western Balkans. After somewhat disappointing the EU-Western Balkans Summit in June 2022, the European Commission announced the opening of the accession negotiations with the two candidate countries Albania and North Macedonia on July 19.

Gentjan Skara, the Head of the Department of Law at the Bedër University College in Triana, joined us to provide his view on critical factors that led to the opening of negotiations. He also shared his assessment of what tasks lie ahead of Albania before the country could become a Member of the European Union.

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In this episode of Talk Eastern Europe, Adam sits down with Nina Rozhanovskaya a coordinator and academic liaison at the Kennan Institute of the Wilson Centre. Nina and Adam explore understanding Russian support for the war in Ukraine and a focus on opposition to the war among Russians inside and outside the country. They discuss the growing internal repressions and the consequences for speaking out against this war.
Read the most recent publication on this topic: “Disloyalty is punishable: Russians hide their true feelings about the war” By: Maria Domańska, New Eastern Europe 17 June 2022: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/06/17/disloyalty-is-punishable-russians-hide-their-true-feelings-about-the-war/
Visit us online: www.talkeasterneurope.eu

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In this episode Aga sits down with Pavel Havlíček, a Research Fellow at the Prague-based Association for International Affairs (AMO) and expert on Eastern Europe, to discuss the priorities of the recently inaugurated Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union and how these will be impacted by the historic decision to grant Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova EU candidate status. Aga and Pavel also talk about Czechia’s involvement in the development of the Eastern Partnership and ponder on the possible future scenarios for the initiative, now that two of its members have become part of the EU’s enlargement policy.

Additional materials:
“Ukraine’s membership of the EU is a long way off, but we must start preparing right now” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/06/22/ukraines-membership-of-the-eu-is-a-long-way-off-but-we-must-start-preparing-right-now/

“Czech presidency can revive the faltering Eastern Partnership” - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/12/27/czech-presidency-can-revive-the-faltering-eastern-partnership/

You can follow Pavel and his work on Twitter (@Pavel_Havlicek_), Facebook (Pavel Paulie Havlíček) and LinkedIn (Pavel Havlicek).

Visit us online at: https://www.talkeasterneurope.eu

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The last European Union Council meeting brought a historic decision to grant Ukraine and Moldova the status of the EU candidate status. In this episode Maciek and Aga share their first reactions to the EU’s decision as well as Maciek asks Maksym Kyiak, the Kyiv-based expert on international relations, about his assessment of EU Council decision. In addition Maksym provides us with an update of the general situation in Ukraine as the war continues without any prospects for rapid de-escalation.

Watch the documentary movie on the city of Bucha in Ukraine, mentioned in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-RXf6REnoSs
Read the latest analysis and commentary on the war and the region by visiting: www.neweasterneurope.eu

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In this episode Adam sits down with Anton Naychuk, Director of the Kyiv-based NGO Civil Diplomacy Fund. Anton gives our listeners an update on where the fighting is now taking place in Ukraine. He discusses the current Russian strategy and the needs of Ukraine for heavy weapons now – before it is too late. Anton also describes the economic effects of the war and why and how Russian actions are leading to a possible global food crisis.

Read the latest analysis and commentary on the war and the region by visiting: www.neweasterneurope.eu

Listen also to Episode 101: EU Candidate status for Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia?
https://talkeasterneurope.eu/episode/episode-101-eu-candidate-status-for-ukraine-moldova-and-georgia-732

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In this episode two Agnieszkas sit down to discuss recent developments in their home country – Poland. Aga’s guest is Agnieszka Wądołowska, deputy editor of Notes from Poland and a fellow podcaster. The discussion revolves around Poland’s reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with particular focus on the country’s role in supporting Ukrainian refugees. Aga and Agnieszka also ponder on the remarkable solidarity which emerged on the Polish political scene as a result of the war and how Poland’s current positive image influences its relations with the EU.

You can find Agnieszka on Twitter: https://twitter.com/aga_wadolowska

Follow Notes from Poland at: https://notesfrompoland.com/

The VoiCEE podcast can be found at: https://notesfrompoland.com/category/the-voicee-podcast/

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This episode features a discussion on the dynamic changes in the energy sector in Europe. Europe has been already on the track to transforming the energy policy due to climate change. The pandemic but foremost Russia's military invasion of Ukraine has accelerated the pace of changes. The most important challenge is how to decrease the level of imports of fossil fuels from Russia and secure the energy security of each EU Member State at the same time.

Guest: Mateusz Kubiak, energy expert, and Managing Partner at Esperis Consulting, a consultancy firm operating in the energy and insurance market.

Visit us online: www.talkeasterneurope.eu