Cash test: can Europe support Ukraine alone?
Summary
This episode examines the shifting dynamics of US support for Ukraine as Trump’s transactional approach leaves Europe to shoulder greater military and financial burdens. It also explores the rise of private science institutions in America, which are adopting venture-capital-like models to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application. Finally, the show discusses a spike in high-value art thefts across European museums, highlighting security vulnerabilities and the challenges of protecting treasures in aging buildings.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: Perk and Whoop
Show introduction and agenda
Trump envoy meets Putin; US-Ukraine tensions
Europe's struggle to support Ukraine alone
Military capabilities Europe cannot replace
Political pressure and frozen Russian assets
Sponsors: Superhuman and Quicken
The rise of private science institutions
New models: FROs and interdisciplinary research
Complementing academia and government funding
Venture capital approach to science funding
High-value art theft in European museums
Security challenges and solutions for museums
Outro and sponsors: Perk and Betterment
Listen ad-free on Castria