Brussels Sprouts

What Ukraine and Russia are Negotiating in Turkey

Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul this week – the first since March 2022 – have got off to a shaky start. Putin’s no-show meant President Zelenskyy remained in Ankara on Thursday, but he plans to send a delegation to Istanbul led by his Defense Minister. Russia’s unwillingness to send a more senior delegation suggests they are not taking the talks seriously, and there are few signs they have dropped their maximalist war demands and would be ready to make a settlement with Ukraine that ensures a sustainable peace. With their efforts so far having failed to yield significant results, President Trump has expressed his frustration with both Kyiv and Moscow and personally urged Presidents Putin and Zelenskyy to meet directly.  
To discuss this round of talks and the prospects for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, we’re very pleased to have Sam Charap and Sergey Radchenko with us on the podcast.    
Sam Charap is distinguished chair in Russia and Eurasia Policy and a senior political scientist at RAND.  
Sergey Radchenko is the Wilson E. Schmidt distinguished professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 

Canada and Carney’s New American Approach

In highly anticipated federal elections on April 28th, Canada’s Liberal Party emerged victorious after staging a major comeback in the polls over the past several months. This comeback victory took place against the backdrop of rising tensions between Canada and the United States, with the Trump administration’s combative stance toward its northern neighbor having played a role in boosting the popularity of the Liberals. Prime Minister Mark Carney, in his first week, has taken a firm stand against Trump, asserting earlier this week at the White House that Canada was “not for sale.”  
To discuss Canada's new political era, Kim Richard Nossal and Elizabeth Anderson analyze the election results and implications for Canadian foreign policy. 
Kim Richard Nossal is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and the author of Canada Alone. 
Elizabeth Anderson is a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Associate Fellow in CNAS’s Transatlantic Security Program, as well as a former senior advisor in the office of Canada’s Foreign Minister. 

Ukraine Negotiates for Its Future

There’s been a flurry of activity on the Ukraine front this week. Over the weekend, Donald Trump briefly met with Zelensky in Rome during ceremonies for Pope Francis’ funeral. A deal over mineral rights seems imminent, and President Trump rebuked Vladimir Putin, accusing him of leading him along as Russian strikes on Ukraine continue.
However, uncertainty over the future of the U.S. and Ukraine continues, especially over whether the U.S. will push Ukraine to accept maximalist Russian demands.
This week, Charles Kupchan and Eric Ciaramella join Brussels Sprouts to discuss the status of negotiations over Ukraine and the future of the U.S.–Russia relationship.
Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University. 
Eric Ciaramella is a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  

Germany's New Defense Agenda

On April 9th, Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union, secured a coalition agreement with the Social Democrats following his party’s victory in the federal elections. In early May, the Bundestag is expected to convene and elect him as the next Chancellor. One of the most significant initiatives of this new government is likely to be a historic overhaul of Germany’s defense posture.  
To discuss this and more, we’re pleased to welcome Claudia Major and Christian Mölling to discuss Germany's new government and defense strategy. 
Claudia Major is the Senior Vice President of Transatlantic Security at the German Marshall Fund
Christian Mölling is a Senior Advisor at the European Policy Centre  

The Hidden Past and Uncertain Future of the U.S. and Ukraine with Celeste Wallander

Under the Trump administration, U.S. support for Ukraine is no longer guaranteed. President Trump's pause on aid and intelligence to Ukraine in March may have been brief, but it sent a clear message to Europe and Ukraine that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable partner for Ukraine. A reduction or end to U.S. support for Ukraine could have a significant impact on the conflict dynamics in Ukraine and present a challenge for European allies as to whether they can step up and fill the gap.  
Celeste Wallander joins the podcast to provide a firsthand account of the evolution of U.S. assistance to Ukraine and to discuss how a united Europe can help Kyiv keep up the fight. 
Celeste Wallander was the assistant secretary of defense for International Security Affairs and is a adjunct senior fellow at CNAS. 

Europe's Trade War Woes

On April 2nd, President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe – with only a handful of countries left untouched. The EU was hit with tariffs of 20% and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised a ‘united response’ and stated a willingness to retaliate. As the U.S.’s biggest trading partner, any actions taken by the EU in response to the tariffs could have a significant impact on both sides of the Atlantic.  
To help us understand where we go from here, we are pleased to welcome Dan Mullaney and Tobias Gehrke. 
Dan Mullaney is the former assistant U.S. trade representative for Europe and the Middle East and is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. 
Tobias Gehrke is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations whose research covers geoeconomics and European Economic Strategy. 

Turkey’s Democratic Downturn

Turkish democracy has come under fresh assault as the Erdoğan government arrested the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party and the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and issued arrest warrants for more than 100 others. Concurrent with Turkey’s domestic turmoil, Ankara is looking to play a more prominent geopolitical role, both in Syria and in Europe, especially as the US pulls back from the European theater. Soner Çağaptay and Aslı Aydıntasbas join Brussels Sprouts this week to discuss these developments. 
Aslı Aydıntaşbaş is a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings.  
Soner Çağaptay is the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.  

How America Wages Economic Warfare with Eddie Fishman

The last two decades have marked a revolution in economic warfare. As the United States has increasingly sought to weaponize the global economy against its adversaries, the world has become fractured into competing blocks, resulting in an economic arms race among major powers. This is the argument made by Eddie Fishman in his new book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. The book tells the story of how the US wielded its economic tools, ranging from sanctions, export controls, investment restrictions, and oil price caps, to address the pressing global security challenges stemming from Iran, Russia, and China. It’s the story of how the world economy became a new frontier of warfare. This week, we’re pleased to welcome Edward Fishman to discuss his new book and how it informs the issues facing us today. 
Edward Fishman is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, senior research scholar for the Center for Global Energy Policy, and an adjunct professor of international and global affairs at Columbia University 

Will Trump Reshape the American Military

Last month, the Trump administration carried out a large-scale firing of senior military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of Naval operations, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, and the top military lawyers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. While expected, these moves were nonetheless largely unprecedented, upending longstanding bipartisan and civil-military norms around the continuity of military leadership across political transitions to a new administration.  Kori Schake and Erica Frantz join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend on this week’s episode to shed light on what the Trump administration’s dismissals of military leaders might mean for the state of U.S. civil-military relations, the health of U.S. democracy, and the conduct of U.S. foreign policy,  
Kori Schake is a Senior Fellow and the Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.   
Erica Frantz is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University and a co-author of The Origins of Elected Strongmen.   

Can Europe Fight Back with Shashank Joshi and Camille Grand

This week, the Trump administration announced the suspension of U.S. military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Reports have emerged that Trump administration officials have held secret discussions with some of Zelensky's political opponents. On Thursday, Trump told reporters he would consider only defending those allies who spend enough on defense. These events, along with everything that has transpired since U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth gave his speech to NATO in February, have catalyzed an unprecedented European response as allies are no longer confident that the US will remain a reliable partner moving forward. Allies are ramping up their defense spending; in an emergency meeting in Brussels yesterday, the EU agreed to rearm Europe by mobilizing 800 billion euros in defense spending. This jump in spending is unprecedented for the EU, with 2024 spending hitting a previous record high of 326 billion to rearm. We're very pleased to have Shashank Joshi and Camille Grand on Brussels Sprouts to discuss what all this means.  
Shashank Joshi is the Economist’s Defense Editor. 
Camille Grand is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.