{"podcast":{"title":"Brussels Playbook Podcast","slug":"brussels-playbook-podcast-730322","podcast_index_feed_id":730322,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ASD6061651607","website_url":"https://www.politico.eu/eu-confidential-podcast/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/457b396e-5e02-11ef-9ea9-13174c9e6348/image/a7aca373f8c088b9c22041f0f8e39e20.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"POLITICO","episode_count":577,"summary":"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.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-12T12:19:54.869432+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322"},"episode":{"title":"Don't aggravate Trump on Iran: Veteran US ambassador to NATO's friendly advice to European leaders","slug":"don-t-aggravate-trump-on-iran-veteran-us-ambassador-to-nato-s-friendly-advice-to-european-leaders","published_at":"2026-04-24T02:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/don-t-aggravate-trump-on-iran-veteran-us-ambassador-to-nato-s-friendly-advice-to-european-leaders","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL9910530721.mp3?updated=1776951828","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL9910530721.mp3?updated=1776951828","summary":"The fragile ceasefire in the Persian Gulf and the uncertainty over peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have cast a long shadow over European capitals hoping for an end to hostilities in the Middle East. Will they have any say over what happens next? The wars in Iran and Ukraine have exposed the chasm between U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in Washington and opinion on this side of the Atlantic. Each time the president attacks NATO and the contribution of European countries to the alliance, confidence in its durability weakens. Host Anne McElvoy talks to Kurt Volker, whose job it was to manage relations between the U.S. and NATO allies as former ambassador to the organisation. He later served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine, handling the negotiations during the first Trump administration. And later in this episode, Anne hears from Ian Wishart, who’s in Cyprus covering the informal summit of EU leaders. How will they wrestle with the war in Iran and its ongoing economic fallout? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"The fragile ceasefire in the Persian Gulf and the uncertainty over peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have cast a long shadow over European capitals ho…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2009,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/episodes/don-t-aggravate-trump-on-iran-veteran-us-ambassador-to-nato-s-friendly-advice-to-european-leaders/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/don-t-aggravate-trump-on-iran-veteran-us-ambassador-to-nato-s-friendly-advice-to-european-leaders.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}