Talk Eastern Europe

*** Please support us to keep bringing you in-depth coverage. Become a Patron: www.patreon.com/search?q=talk+eastern+europe
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

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

*** Support Talk Eastern Europe. Become a Patron at www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope
This episode of Talk Eastern Europe heads back to the Southern Caucasus following the serious clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia last year. The fighting came to an end with a Russian-negotiated peace agreement, providing Azerbaijan with some territorial gains and putting Russian peacekeeping troops on the ground in the region. In Armenia the agreement was seen as a humiliating defeat for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was forced to accept the agreement and was heavily criticized in the country.
This episode takes a look at the political developments that have taken place since the agreement was signed. Adam sits down with Armenian journalist Ani Avetisyan to get some insight on the current situation there as the country braces for pre-term elections on June 20th.
Resources and context:
“This conflict was always on the edge of Europe”, An interview with Thomas de Waal. New Eastern Europe issue 3/2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/04/11/this-conflict-was-always-on-the-edge-of-europe/
“Pashinyan announces changes to electoral system before elections” by Ani Avetisyan, OC Media 25 March 2021: https://oc-media.org/pashinyan-announces-changes-to-electoral-system-before-elections/
“Turkey, Russia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” By: Natalia Konarzewska. New Eastern Europe 1-2/2021: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/02/03/turkey-russia-and-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict/
Talk Eastern Europe Episode 55: Episode 55: Nagorno-Karabkh on fire (again) https://www.spreaker.com/user/talkeasterneurope/tee-55
>>> Check out “Tales from the Baltics” - the newest issue of New Eastern Europe. Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/3fZWpkd
Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Groups/TalkEasternEurope
Talk Eastern Europe is a member of the EuroPod network. Check it out here: https://www.bullemedia.eu/europod

This special episode marking the second anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine features four short-form interviews with Ukrainians in the country and outside it. First, Nina and Alexandra discuss the news of the death of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who was murdered while imprisoned in one of Russia's northernmost prisons.
Later, Nina and Alexandra share four stories from Ukraine with the following guests. Each guest shared their personal stories, reflections from the last two years, what they have been doing to support Ukraine, and the hopes they have for Ukraine's future.
Mariya Chukhnova is a trilingual (Ukrainian, Russian, English) expert in international security and regional knowledge, specializing in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Russia. With a diverse background in the rule of law, anti-corruption, and international security, she is originally from Ukraine and is now based in the US.
Maksym Kyiak is the chief scientist at the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and a chief expert at the Ukrainian NGO ANTS – National Interests Advocacy Network. He is based in Kyiv.
Nazar Boykov is a political scientist and expert on elections based in Lviv. He is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at West Virginia University and a founder and chief executive at the Ukrainian NGO CIFRA Group.
Oleksandr Shchur is the writer and producer of the new film Bucha, which tells the story of a refugee from Kazakhstan who saved hundreds of Ukrainians in occupied territories in the spring of 2022.
Check out the latest issue of New Eastern Europe: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/02/07/issue-1-2-2024-elections-without-choice/
Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TalkEasternEurope
Follow Mariya on Linkedin to support her advocacy work and fundraising: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariya-chukhnova-903554130?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BIJPL9ERXTcmi16Ov7g4s5A%3D%3D.
Check out Mariya's other work: The Quiet of the Russian Diaspora in the US (VoxUkraine) Deliberate Destruction of Ukrainian Scientific Infrastructure by Russia: The Urgency of Its Protection and Restoration (The Critical Mass)
Learn more about Oleksandar's film Bucha: https://bucha.film/.

In the final episode of our special series on Black Sea security, Adam and Maciek discuss the most recent NATO meeting of heads of states in London. Adam then interviews Victor Kipiani, chair of the Geocase think tank in Tbilisi (15.45), where they discuss implications for Georgia, the region and wider geopolitics.
Follow Victor Kipiani on Twitter: @victor_kipiani https://twitter.com/victor_kipiani
Thank you to all of our listeners for making 2019 a successful year for Talk Eastern Europe. We look forward to new ideas and episodes for next year.
Thank you for the Polish embassy in Georgia and NATO for the support of this special series.
We wish you all peaceful holiday break and Happy New Year!
Resources:
The NATO “London Declaration”, issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in London 3-4 December 2019 https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_171584.htm?selectedLocale=en
NATO at 70 – cheating death, one threat at a time? By Wojciech Michnik. New Eastern Europe. 24 April 2019: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/04/24/nato-at-70-cheating-death-one-threat-at-a-time/
Georgia’s long and uncertain road to NATO membership. By: Giorgi Goguadze. New Eastern Europe no. 5/2019: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2019/08/26/georgias-long-and-uncertain-road-to-nato-membership/
*** Please SUPPORT the podcast – become a patron: www.patreon.com/talkeasterneurope
Music featured in the podcast licensed under the Creative Commons license 3.0/4.0:
Intro: Indie Rock by Scott Holmes: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/Road_Trip_Indie_Rock/Indie_Rock_1327
- Chillin' With Jeris by copperhead. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/copperhead/35987
This episode is supported by funding from the Polish Embassy in Tbilisi in the framework of the NATO Contact Point Embassy (We thank them for their support!)