This is John Bachelor.

Germany, speaking with Judy Dempsey of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,

she's based in Berlin, puts out Strategic Europe newsletter.

Germany, why doesn't Olaf Schultz move more effectively to support Ukraine?

He wants to, he intends to, but Judy has an analysis of why he holds back. It's his party. It's the coalition he leads, but especially

his party to the Social Democrats. Judy explains it very carefully. There is Social Democrat Wing that doesn't want war with Russia.

There is the alternative for Deutschland Splinter Party. There's another Communist Party.

There are all kinds of hesitations about

supporting Ukraine within the Social Democratic Coalition, within the Coalition

government. Judy Dempsey on Germany and Olaf Schultz's many

forces pulling him this way and that way, despite his intention to support Ukraine?

Well, you must understand that the left wing of the social democrats, they hanker after the old days of Russia,

they want to give the whole full support to Ukraine.

But to answer your question, what the left wing of the social democrats are doing is to try

to stop the exodus of the social democrats to the alternative for

Doyceans and John don't forget there there's another party there quite a far

left-wing party run by Sarah Vagnek, a very old East communist who's attracting vote as well.

And because the center isn't holding and all of Shultz, the Chancellor will not speak out cheerily

what is at stake.

He has a lot of mantra, a lot of rhetoric,

but he's not leading.

And his coalition is completely divided over so many issues, domestic issues, political issues, foreign policy issues, and so it leaves back fumes which can be exploited by the left wing of his own party, put pressure on him and the far-right-wing

...