Should Europe talk to Putin?

Brussels Playbook Podcast

POLITICO

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.4 • 202 Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2026

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Europe is still reeling from the recent drone incursions into Baltic airspace. In a show of solidarity, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius are in Lithuania today following last week’s drone scare. Today on the Brussels Playbook Podcast, we unpack the latest developments, including discussions about Baltic companies teaming up with Ukrainian firms to tap into their expertise in bomb-shelter construction. Also on the pod: Calls are growing for Europe to appoint its own negotiator in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, now that the U.S. has stepped back. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Europe to take a more active role. But not everyone is convinced — Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski have both raised concerns. Zoya and Nick break down the debate. And finally, negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget are heating up, with some countries balking at the proposed €1.8 trillion price tag. We explain what’s driving the pushback. Should the EU spend more or less money on the next budget? Let us know what you think by sending us a message on WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. And don’t forget to check out the Paris Playbook Podcast. You can listen to the trailer and subscribe here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Attention all passengers. The Uber ride for Jeff's rugby team will depart in five minutes from
0:08.2	Platform 15. Your ride comes with six toilets and a refreshment's carriage that you'll empty within
0:14.7	five minutes. Thank you for booking your tickets on Uber. Trains on Uber.
0:22.4	Good morning. It's Tuesday, May 26, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast.
0:32.5	The vibe in Brussels today is sweaty, literally and figuratively, as EU chief Ursula von der Leyen
0:39.1	and Defence Commissioner Andreas Kubilius touched down in Lithuania to show support for the
0:43.4	Baltics following last week's drone scare. And also on the pod, should Europe have an envoy
0:49.7	in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks? Some are saying no, some are saying, yes, Nick and I break it down.
0:55.4	And negotiations on the EU's next long-term budget are ramping up, but loads of countries are
1:00.5	unhappy with the 1.8 trillion euro price tag. I'm Zoya Shoftilovic, and with me today is
1:06.4	Nick Vinika, our chief foreign affairs correspondent. Hey Nick, how are you dealing with this heat dome?
1:10.9	I'm dealing pretty well, although I've just someone commented on my shorts saying I'm wearing
1:14.6	very short shorts. It was me. I was someone. I did say sun's out, knees out.
1:20.6	It was the second person then. Someone said, whoa, really short shorts. But I'm feeling pretty good
1:25.8	about them. Yeah, you're doing the short shorts.
1:27.7	I'm doing the ice cream.
1:29.0	In fact, I'm doing ice in everything.
1:31.0	Ice tea, ice cream, ice water all day.
1:35.1	All right, let's get to something that's a little less icy, a little more hot.
1:39.4	Last week on the pod, we spoke about the fact that drones have been violating Baltic airspace,
1:43.9	and we know that Lithuania's president and prime minister were rushed to underground bunkers, and there were some residents who were urged to take shelter. Well, today, the commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the defense commissioner, Andreas Cabellius, they're off to Lithuania for a meeting with the prime minister and with other Baltic leaders. Yeah. So the aim is to show solidarity with the Baltic states, but also to talk about shared
2:04.3	defense capabilities and the EU's safe loans.
	...

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