The EU’s envoy to Ukraine on war, resilience — and Nordic walking
POLITICO - Friday, February 20, 2026Listen on
An air raid siren sounded as we were wrapping up our interview with the EU’s ambassador in Kyiv.
On this week’s EU Confidential, Sarah Wheaton speaks with Katarína Mathernová about what it means to live — and work — in a city under near-constant Russian threat. From bombardments, freezing temperatures and winter blackouts to EU accession hopes, we ask how Ukraine is holding up as another February anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion approaches.
Later, Sarah is joined by POLITICO’s defense editor Jan Cienski to unpack a debate gaining momentum across Europe: whether the continent needs to rethink its ultimate deterrent as long-held security assumptions begin to shift.
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