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.
126
Zelenskyy vs. Orbán
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging Europe to find a way around Hungary.
15 min
127
Europe’s plan to keep Ukraine afloat
Ukraine is running out of money to fight Russia — but Hungary still isn’t budging on its opposition to the EU’s €90 billion loan to Kyiv.
15 min
128
Europe braces for an energy crisis
14 min
129
Von der Leyen accused of overreach
Some European governments are arguing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen overstepped her mandate in her response to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
15 min
130
How Europe survives when there are no rules
For decades, Europeans shared a simple belief: that the world — however messy — ultimately runs on rules.
27 min
131
Iran war: Europe weighs migration risk
A controversial new idea on EU enlargement is stirring debate in Brussels.
15 min
132
The making of 'Made in Europe'
“Made in Europe” is finally here.
12 min
133
Caught between wars
Europe is no longer watching the conflict in the Middle East from a distance — it’s directly entangled.
14 min
134
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
135
Diplomats or disruptors — when Trump’s ambassad...
Ambassadors are supposed to smooth tensions, not spark them.
27 min
136
Inside EU ambassadors' crisis 'bunker'
Brussels is adjusting to a shifting geopolitical landscape.
14 min
137
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
138
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
139
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
140
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
141
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
142
The EU’s plan to revive its frontline regions
The war in Ukraine is reshaping life well beyond the battlefield.
13 min
143
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
144
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
145
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
146
BONUS: "Europe has to be saved from itself" - S...
28 min
147
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
148
EU talks funding Kyiv and how to boost industry
It’s another day of high-level talks across Belgium.
14 min
149
Episode 1: The plan to get Ukraine into the EU
Welcome to the first edition of the Brussels Playbook Podcast!
13 min
150
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