This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Batchelor.

I welcome Anatole Levin of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft,

comment on what we know and what is logical in the tangle of voices.

Washington, that would be Donald Trump and Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State.

Moscow, that would be Lavrov, the foreign minister, and, of course, the President, Vladimir Putin.

And then, Mrs. Zelensky of Keefe, having to do with Crimea.

The headline in the FT points us to the tangle.

Donald Trump's move on Russia-occupied Crimea forces Europe to choose sides.

Subhead.

U.S. offered to recognize annexation of territory, alarms Keefe, and other European capitals.

One of those capitals I know from the FTs report elsewhere is Berlin, the incoming Chancellor, Friedrich Merck,

takes office in early May, has rejected entirely the idea that Europe will permit Russia to annex Crimea, the very important

piece of the puzzle that has been in Russian occupied hands since 2014 and the Little Green

Men.

Anatole, a very good evening to you. Thank you for this.

There are 27 nations in the EU that I believe they're 32 in NATO. Getting them to agree

on anything is a miracle. But right now there does not seem to be loud dissent from the

idea of Russia, of permitting Russia to annex Crimea.

But the voice that I listened to keenly was Friedrich Merritt, the incoming chancellor,

who said no, no, and no, very clearly.

There was no ambiguity in that.

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