In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie discusses Ukraine peace talks with Bruegel’s Guntram Wolff and Nicolas Véron, and how the EU can manage the high-stakes standoff between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington. Over the past week, proposals from both sides of the Atlantic have jumpstarted efforts to find a way to stop the fighting. The EU is also locked in an internal debate over how to leverage Russia’s frozen cash to help Ukraine, a debate that affects the euro’s global reputation as well as the current budget. Bruegel’s experts take on the debate and gauge its chances for moving forward or petering out. Related research: Charles Lichfield & Nicolas Véron, An EU reparations loan is the right way to help Ukraine, Bruegel First Glance, 14 October 2025 Mejino-López, J. and G. Wolff (2025) ‘Europe’s dependence on US foreign military sales and what to do about it’ Policy Brief 27/2025, Bruegel

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.