Bulgaria Has Its Strongman. Who Will Rumen Radev Turn Out to Be?

Bulgaria has its most decisive electoral shift in a generation. But who is Rumen Radev — reformer or risk? Wojciech Przybylski is joined by Spasimir Domaradzki, assistant professor at the University of Warsaw and Visegrad Insight Fellow, for an immediate post-election assessment recorded on 20 April 2026, less than 24 hours after the results.They examine Radev's two faces: his track record of pro-Russian positioning and ambiguous statements on Ukraine versus his image as an anti-corruption outsider and former fighter jet pilot; the collapse of state-capture actors Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski; and whether Bulgaria could follow Hungary's trajectory as a disruptive force inside the European Union.Read Spasimir's article for Visegrad Insight: https://visegradinsight.eu/bulgaria-votes-russia-hopes-for-new-orban/Visegrad Insight Weekly Outlook: https://visegradinsight.eu/bulgaria-radev-will-test-europe-resolve-on-russia/Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BkbUM0HnP48Listen on Spotify:Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/bulgaria-has-its-strongman-who-will-rumen-radev-turn/id1515725435?i=1000763047577&l=en-GB

Hungary’s historic parliamentary election on 12 April 2026 produced a landslide result, with Peter Magyar's Tisza party winning a supermajority with 136 seats in the 199-seat National Assembly and leaving just 57 seats for Viktor Orbán's Fidesz–KDNP. Almost 80 per cent of Hungarians cast a ballot, with a narrow majority voting for change.In this episode, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Luca Flora Soltesz, a Budapest-based contributing editor at Visegrad Insight, about what this change means for Hungary and for Europe as a whole, how a new generation of voters helped decide Orban's future and what Hungarians feel and speak about after this 'revolution of dignity'.Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QQI3Z3A8oFor more insights, analysis, events and member-only content on Central and Eastern Europe, subscribe to Visegrad Insight: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/ (use special promo code Visegrad35 for 35 per cent off an annual subscription)

One year after US President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcements, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Elisabeth Braw, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of Goodbye Globalisation, about the accelerating unravelling of the global trading order.They discuss whether globalisation can be reprogrammed, why China is winning the game of economic statecraft, how the United States has undermined the very coalition needed to counter Beijing, and what realistic strategies Europe has left — from the Mercosur deal to manufacturing partnerships with India, Vietnam and the Philippines.The conversation also turns to the maritime order and how Iran, China, Russia and, increasingly, the United States are eroding the legal frameworks that make global shipping possible, and what the consequences will be for prices, security and Europe's economic resilience.This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the Resilient Futures Fellowship programme, organised by the Res Publica Foundation and PZU Foundation in Warsaw.Subscribe for weekly analysis on democracy, security and the economy in Central and Eastern Europe: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KktH76CjjkYListen on Spotify:Listen on Apple Podcasts:

As Hungary ramps up pressure over oil transit, sanctions and European support for Kyiv, Yuliia Dziuba joins Wojciech Przybylski to explain how these moves are received in Ukraine. From the Druzhba pipeline dispute to Viktor Orbán’s political calculus, this episode examines whether Budapest is merely obstructing or actively weakening European solidarity at a critical moment in Russia's war against Ukraine.Subscribe to Visegrad Insight: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/Watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/Kutbtk5cIRkListen on Spotify: Listen on Apple Podcasts:

Poland is withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention and debating landmines on its eastern border. At the same time, nuclear ‘sharing’ ideas are resurfacing as Europe scrambles to rebuild deterrence.In this episode, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Agata Kleczkowska, assistant professor at the Institute of Law Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a Resilient Future Fellow, about where security policy ends and international law begins.We cover:- What Poland’s exit from the landmine ban signals for Central Europe- Civilian protection, deterrence and the problem of ‘temporary’ weapons- Nuclear umbrellas, French capabilities and the legal red lines of non-proliferation- What ‘democratic resilience’ means in legal terms- Why the international legal order is eroding, and why that matters for smaller states.Agata Kleczkowska is a Resilient Futures Fellow at Visegrad Insight, powered by Res Publica Foundation and PZU Foundation. Learn more about the fellowship programme: https://visegradinsight.eu/resilient-futures-fellowship/Subscribe to Visegrad Insight for analysis, events and member-only content.Use promo code VISEGRAd35 for 35% off an annual subscription: https://visegradinsight.euWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dVL3aSgYjAEListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uMd77T0HqlMiVX3ZhPrwA?si=Yv35pJ74Spar7pGwNF-bEAListen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/poland-quits-the-landmine-ban-what-happens-next/id1515725435?i=1000753348594&l=en-GB

Budapest is accusing Kyiv of delaying repairs to the Druzhba pipeline and threatening to restrict electricity and diesel exports to Ukraine while blocking EU measures to support Kyiv. But are these decisions really made by Viktor Orbán in Budapest, or are they shaped elsewhere?In this episode, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Visegrad Insight fellow Zsuzsanna Szabó, an energy and geostrategy expert based in Oslo, about Hungary’s deep dependency on Russian crude, the political economy of MOL’s margins and the ‘utility bill reduction fund’, and why the Druzhba standoff hits the Hungarian government where it hurts ahead of the April election.They also discuss Hungary’s threats towards Ukraine, Croatia’s potential role via the Adria pipeline and why sanctions veto politics can look less like Hungarian national interest and more like Kremlin interest.Subscribe to Visegrad Insight: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/Watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/piAVKv31AI0Listen on Spotify: Listen on Apple Podcasts:

In this Visegrad Insight podcast, Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Sigita Struberga (Latvian Transatlantic Organisation, Organisation Women for Security) about what the 2026 Munich Security Conference revealed about Europe’s strategic direction, defence-industrial reality and the eastern flank’s expectations of partners.We discuss:– Why ‘national interests’ rhetoric is back and what it means for the Euro-Atlantic community– ‘Rearmament without warmongering’ and the politics of long war preparation– Baltic ‘total defence’ thinking, societal resilience and the demand for measurable results– EU defence industry modernisation and the coming competition inside EuropeRead Sigita Struberga's article based on this conversation: https://visegradinsight.eu/europe-is-preparing-but-baltic-states-want-action/Subscribe to Visegrad Insight: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/Watch on YouTube:https://youtu.be/EIA6GLeJW7MListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uoWUeqvhpI5ddsrbxjJnz?si=rUW2CrKqTNeGtyDafbl-VwListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/europe-is-preparing-the-baltics-want-action/id1515725435?i=1000750307371&l=en-GB

Wojciech Przybylski speaks with Maria Repko, Deputy Director at the Centre for Economic Strategy in Kyiv, about how Ukraine’s economy functions under winter blackouts, missile attacks and a war-driven defence industry boom.In this episode:– What daily life looks like in Kyiv at -20 degrees with rationed electricity and broken heating– Why Ukrainians reject the ‘resilience’ label and what it obscures– Poland–Ukraine cooperation after Donald Tusk’s visit and the shift from ‘emotional’ to ‘rational’ politics– The SAFE mechanism, EU defence funding and why Ukraine’s defence industry iterates faster– What to expect from the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk– Why ‘closing the sky’ matters more than any reconstruction cheque– Frozen Russian assets and what Europe signals by keeping them immobilisedSubscribe for more conversations on democratic security, security policy and political economy in Central Europe.Support independent journalism and analysis: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-checkout/Podcast listeners’ code: visegrad35 (35 per cent off yearly subscription)Watch on YouTube: Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4wOAm6tjBMzvqgtAX7XaIg?si=qapxXc0JTUKBU0ddYk9RjAListen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/ukraines-economy-is-growing-despite-genocide/id1515725435?i=1000749271637&l=en-GB00:00 Guest intro: Ukraine’s economy under war00:25 Podcast intro and context01:38 Kyiv winter, vulnerability and survival02:08 Heating destruction and electricity rationing04:21 ‘We do not like the word resilience anymore’05:16 Poland’s visit to Kyiv, new cooperation agenda07:58 From ‘emotional’ to ‘rational’ bilateral politics11:16 Subscription message (promo code)11:40 Ukraine Recovery Conference and diplomacy track13:15 Why the conference matters (Berlin, Rome, now Gdańsk)14:23 A new defence pillar and business-driven recovery15:13 ‘Close the sky’: prevention over recovery17:21 Where frozen assets sit and why it stays opaque18:50 Europe’s credibility and deterrence signal29:51 Why financial support underpins state capacity30:56 Deterrence logic and Russia’s military spending32:29 Why Russia is not preparing to stop34:07 Outro

President Petr Pavel accuses Foreign Minister Petr Macinka of blackmail, triggering what may become an emerging constitutional crisis. In this videocast, Wojciech Przybylski and Pavel Havlíček discuss what the scandal means for Czech foreign policy, defence spending and the stability of Andrej Babiš’s coalition, including the influence of the ‘motorists’ movement and Filip Turek.Read the text version of the interview: https://visegradinsight.eu/macinka-pavel-scandal-cohabitation-czechia/Our analysis on the topic: https://visegradinsight.eu/political-cohabitation-in-czechia-turns-into-a-house-of-cards-play/Pavel Havlíček is a 2021/2022 Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight. He is also a Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) Research Centre. His research focus is on Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine and Russia, and the Eastern Partnership.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-f1dKl4GlXIListen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5trSyFe9Mh4XAZSqAgwr5t?si=-G60rjCtSjyKa-DRLu12VgListen on Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/AqXhN

Wojciech Przybylski talks with Radu Albu-Comanescu (Babeș-Bolyai University, Visegrad Insight Fellow) about what the World Economic Forum revealed about geostrategy, defence and the new rules of engagement from Washington, with uncomfortable implications for Central and Eastern Europe.In this episode: – Why this Davos felt ‘geopolitically consistent’– Reactions to the ‘Board of Peace’ idea from Central and Eastern Europe– Greenland and the High NorthRomania and Poland’s balancing act: economic security in the European Union, hard security with the United StatesThe China question Europe keeps postponing, at its own riskFollow Visegrad Insight for analysis on democratic security, geopolitical risk and the future of Central Europe. Subscribe for our newsletter and more exclusive content: https://visegradinsight.eu/membership-account/membership-levels/Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zR_rnyT6dzY