Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters.

The Brussels Playbook Podcast is the audio extension of the Brussels Playbook newsletter. Hosted by POLITICO's chief EU correspondent, Zoya Sheftalovich, the podcast runs Monday through Thursday, offering a clear, reporting-driven guide to EU politics in under 15 minutes. It’s a perfect companion for your morning coffee.

Each episode takes listeners inside the decisions, power shifts and debates shaping the day in Brussels — and explains how they connect to national capitals across Europe.

Clear, conversational and shaped by reporting from the heart of the EU, the Brussels Playbook Podcast brings context to EU politics as your day begins.

On Fridays, the same feed features a longer episode that goes deeper into the week’s biggest themes, offering context and analysis beyond the daily news cycle — with Sarah Wheaton behind the mic. 


News
Politics
News Commentary
51
Caught between wars
Europe is no longer watching the conflict in the Middle East from a distance — it’s directly entangled.
14 min
52
Europe's balancing act on Iran
After a weekend of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — and the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — Brussels is moving to coordinate its diplomatic response.
15 min
53
Diplomats or disruptors — when Trump’s ambassad...
Ambassadors are supposed to smooth tensions, not spark them.
27 min
54
Inside EU ambassadors' crisis 'bunker'
Brussels is adjusting to a shifting geopolitical landscape.
14 min
55
Who showed up — and who didn't — for Kyiv's big...
Europe marked four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion with a high-profile show of solidarity in Kyiv on Tuesday.
13 min
56
Four years of war — and Hungary breaks EU unity
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European leaders gather in Kyiv to signal unity and solidarity.
14 min
57
Sanctions, tensions — and a birthday at the FAC
EU foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels with one clear goal: to agree on a 20th sanctions package against Russia.
14 min
58
The EU’s envoy to Ukraine on war, resilience — ...
An air raid siren sounded as we were wrapping up our interview with the EU’s ambassador in Kyiv.
34 min
59
Testing Trump’s Board of Peace
The EU is taking a careful seat at Donald Trump’s first meeting of the Board of Peace — sending Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, but not signing up to the initiative.
14 min
60
The EU’s plan to revive its frontline regions
The war in Ukraine is reshaping life well beyond the battlefield.
13 min
61
Power play in European Parliament
A battle for power in the European Parliament is already underway — though quietly for now — with the midterm reshuffle a year away.
13 min
62
Europe edges toward a multi-speed future
At this year's Munich Security Conference, the U.S. struck a softer tone — but Europe remains wary.
14 min
63
Omnibusted: The EU’s competitiveness conundrum
European leaders have spent the week talking about how to make the EU more competitive — first with industry heavyweights in Antwerp, then behind closed doors at a leaders’ retreat in Belgium.
38 min
64
BONUS: "Europe has to be saved from itself" - S...
28 min
65
The battle of Alden Biesen
EU leaders gather at Alden Biesen castle to debate how to revive Europe’s economy — and whether “strategic autonomy” can survive internal divisions.
14 min
66
EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry
It’s another day of high-level talks across Belgium.
14 min
67
Episode 1: The plan to get Ukraine into the EU
Welcome to the first edition of the Brussels Playbook Podcast!
13 min
68
Can the EU decouple from Trump's America?
Can the European Union really decouple from Donald Trump’s America — economically, politically, and strategically?
35 min
69
Introducing: The Brussels Playbook Podcast
POLITICO’s daily audio briefing on what’s moving Brussels — and why it matters.
2 min
70
The Anxious Continent: Social media bans and bo...
Europe is testing how far it’s willing to go — at home and abroad.
38 min
71
What really happened after Trump blinked
What a week!
23 min
72
BONUS EPISODE: At Davos, the twist in Trump's G...
32 min
73
Trump bites. Europe grasps for an antidote.
“A little less conversation, a little more action.”
33 min
74
Whose world is it now? Trump, power and Europe
Europe had barely switched off its out-of-office replies before geopolitics came roaring back.
34 min
75
Von der Leyen vs. Trump: Europe answers back
He’s not even European — yet Donald Trump has topped POLITICO’s annual P28 ranking of the most powerful people who will shape Europe in 2026.
37 min