Europe faces a strategic reality: deterrence requires more than political will — it requires the ability to finance it.

In this episode of the Eastern Frontline podcast, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Roberts Zīle speak with Rob Murray, the CEO of the Defence, Security & Resilience Bank, a former Head of Innovation at NATO and architect of the NATO Innovation Fund, to unpack why Europe’s defence financing model is no longer fit for purpose.

Murray explains:

• Why the defence industrial base cannot scale without access to credit
• How regulatory constraints block SMEs from entering defence supply chains
• Why the Defence, Security & Resilience Bank could be a game-changer
• The limits of the EIB’s mandate — and why complementary instruments are needed
• The strategic risk of defence inflation and multi-year procurement uncertainty
• How a transatlantic, Indo-Pacific coalition of shareholders could accelerate production

A clear message emerges: Europe needs new financial architecture if it wants real deterrence.

In this episode of the Eastern Frontline Podcast, MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Virginijus Sinkevičius speak with Prof. Ilse Derluyn about the hidden side of resilience.

The discussion explores the long-term challenges Ukraine and Europe must prepare for — covering the mental health of youth, the post-war reintegration of veterans, and the role of diaspora. Prof. Derluyn warns that winning the war is only the beginning — healing society will take generations.

She discusses why:

- Veteran reintegration will be a decades-long challenge, requiring therapy, jobs, and community dialogue.

- Children and youth will carry war trauma alongside the scars of COVID. Mental health must be a pillar of Ukraine’s recovery.

- Different survival choices (fight, flee, freeze) are normal — but can fracture cohesion.

- Diaspora and returnees will bring both skills and tensions — policies are needed to manage reintegration.

- Post-war “blame cycles” are inevitable. Societies need mechanisms to evaluate mistakes without tearing themselves apart.

In this first episode of the Eastern Frontline Podcast, host MEPs Reinis Pozņaks and Katri Kulmuni are joined by European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, to discuss the urgent challenges facing Europe’s security.

Warning that Russia has the potential to test NATO within three years, Kubilius says improving defence readiness must be "our daily priority".

The conversation covers:

• Europe’s €131 billion defence budget and what it means in practice
• How drones are reshaping modern warfare - and how Eastern Frontline states must prepare
• Why defence spending is also an investment in economic growth
• The role of startups, SMEs, and cooperation with Ukraine in defence innovation
• Why the European Parliament and governments must act faster to deliver readiness

Kubilius is clear: “We are not at war, but neither are we at peace. We are living in a period of defence readiness.”

🎧 Listen now for an unflinching look at Europe’s security challenges — and the choices policymakers must make.