{"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":"Who keeps the Russian shadow fleet afloat?","slug":"who-keeps-the-russian-shadow-fleet-afloat","published_at":"2026-06-02T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/who-keeps-the-russian-shadow-fleet-afloat","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322","url":"https://www.politico.eu/podcast/brussels-playbook-podcast/","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL1029332447.mp3","summary":"As the EU prepares to target Russia’s shadow fleet in the 21st sanctions package, we’re looking at the system that keeps these ships in business. Every one of these Russian vessels carrying sanctioned goods requires port access, crews, financial services and more to stay operational. On today’s episode, Zoya Sheftalovich and Sarah Wheaton pinpoint insurance in particular. They explain how, even though European insurers pulled away from Russian-linked business after the invasion of Ukraine, some financial institutions are still supporting these ships. Also on the pod, Michael McGrath, Commissioner for justice and rule of law, arrives in Hungary today. His visit comes as Prime Minister Péter Magyar is racing to pass the rule of law reforms needed to finally unlock billions of euros in EU funds. And finally: Europe is on Ebola watch. EU health ministers are preparing to coordinate as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda grows and suspected cases test Europe’s response systems. Is your birthday coming up? Let us know and we can give you a shout out on the pod! Send us a message or a voice note on our WhatsApp here or at +32 491 05 06 29. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"As the EU prepares to target Russia’s shadow fleet in the 21st sanctions package, we’re looking at the system that keeps these ships in business. Every on…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":955,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/brussels-playbook-podcast-730322/episodes/who-keeps-the-russian-shadow-fleet-afloat/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/who-keeps-the-russian-shadow-fleet-afloat.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}