Meanwhile in Europe June 2nd 2025: UK Defence Overhaul, Ukraine Strikes Deep, and Poland's Election Shock

Today's June 2nd 2025.On today's episode:In London, we dive into the launch of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), a major policy announcement emphasizing a tougher stance on nuclear deterrents and Russia, putting Britain on a "war footing". We discuss key pledges like building "up to" 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines under AUKUS and investing £15 billion in the UK's warhead program. The SDR concludes Britain must be prepared to fight in Europe or the Atlantic and move the military to "warfighting readiness," incorporating lessons from Ukraine. We explore the ambition to spend 3% of GDP on defense and plans to reverse the decline in Army numbers and potentially establish a new "home guard". This review marks a "NATO-first" approach, shifting focus back to Europe.From Brussels, we analyze the results of the Polish Presidential Election, where nationalist Karol Nawrocki narrowly won, seen as a setback for Prime Minister Donald Tusk and potentially steering Poland in a more populist direction. We also detail Ukraine's unprecedented drone attack, dubbed "Operation Spider’s Web," an 18-month planned operation that reportedly struck some 40 Russian strategic bombers ahead of new peace talks in Istanbul. Plus, we cover the push by US Senators for "bone-crushing" sanctions against Russia, seeking support for lowering the oil price cap and seizing frozen assets.In Berlin, we further examine Ukraine's significant counter-attack on Russian strategic bombers, highlighting its potential impact and the rapidly changing nature of warfare due to drones. We touch on the official result of the Polish election, Germany's progress on arming its F-35 fighter jets with Norwegian missiles, and the escalating EU-US trade tensions following the announced doubling of US steel tariffs, prompting threats of countermeasures from the EU.And from Paris, we look at the aftermath of riots and violence after a PSG football match, ongoing legislative conflicts in the National Assembly, including fierce opposition to the A69 motorway bill, the surprising new support for nuclear power from Socialist deputies in the energy bill discussions, and the weakening of the fast fashion bill in the Senate.Tune in to stay IN the know about what's shaping Europe today.