I'm John That's with my colleague, Anatole-Levin, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft,

a European, very helpful, because addressing Europe in this matter of the Ukraine conflict with Russia,

what we're told so far is the negotiations for a possible end or diminution or in some fashion transformation

of the war fighting involves Moscow and Washington. I don't hear Brussels at the table, nor do I hear

Brussels proposed at the table. That would be NATO and the EU. I do see, however, there are some things to note out of the EU.

For example, there's a new government forming in Germany, a very powerful state that must

be part of the EU-NATO conversation in Ukraine eventually or now, or it can, the Europe can't go forward without Germany.

So Friedrich Merritt's a non-politician who's suddenly the Chancellor of All Germany,

taking office in May, has said that he will permit the shipping of tourist missiles.

That's a cruise missile with a range of about 300 either kilometers or miles,

I get confused. But in any event, it's similar to missiles that Ukraine already has. He will

permit that to go to Ukraine. That is a change of weather in Germany over the Alev-Schultz socialist

democratic-led coalition. And a toll, is that significant that Merritt is more disposed towards the hawkish side of the conflict?

Well, yes, it is quite significant, and I mean, it will bolster the hardline positions within Europe

as a whole, within the EU and NATO. But, I mean, the EU and NATO, a country,

you know, will have to be brought in to the peace process, you know, when that process is much

closer to a conclusion, because of course, the issue of a lifting or suspension of sanctions against

Russia will be critical and the question of what to do with the Russian assets that the

European Union has seized but I mean at present there I mean I was talking to somebody from a German think tank and another NATO figure yesterday.

And there is simply no serious thought being given in Europe to what a settlement might actually look like. I mean, you have these

very hard line and frankly impossible statements from Kaya Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief,

which in private, many European diplomats will dismiss, but nobody has actually come out to say that they're not going to

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