Can Ukraine still count on Germany?

You listened to Mats' speech today.

What's your main takeaway?

Yeah, I just want to, I mean, you know, I'm not allowed to give long answers, has to be yes or no.

So that's why I reined myself in after I was told to be a lot shorter.

And really, the answer is the aid for Ukraine is not in danger as long as any party of the centre has anything to do with the government.

So below a snap election, which does not look like it's likely at the moment at all, unless the AFD comes into power, which is kind of many see as a potential long game, that's not going to happen.

Let's talk about that later a bit more, because it's super interesting, obviously, that whole

complex.

And here's the latest evidence.

That was the speech that we heard from Friedrich Merz today, awarding the award of the Westphalian Peace, which ended the Thirty Year War.

There's a few things we're way too young for.

For all your history buffs out there.

Google it.

But the Westphalian peace was unique in that it created essentially the rule of law in the sense of the inviolability of borders.

That became the baseline for peace here in Europe.

Yes,

but what did Mads say?

and he said he literally does not want to humiliate the russian people that germany does not want nato don't want to unhinge the stability of the russian state but that russia must stop this war he also and he does this pretty much in every speech wherever he goes which has anything to do with international affairs he does continue to link the security of Ukraine to the security of Germany and Europe, and then widens it to NATO.

So this is, he highlights that it's an existential fight for freedom in Europe.

So he shows no willingness to make any compromises, in stark contrast to the very beginning of his chancellorship, when he basically tried to be more open to the way, the Trump style of... international affairs, where he declared the rule of law for essentially suspended for a while.

Now he's doubling down on this because whether the Americans are on board or not, and he made clear that that's his preference, he is making very clear that there's no escaping of standing up to Russia.

Maybe we can listen in quickly.

Our producers were very fast.

Shout out to Cynthia Pfarr, who's our producer, by the way.

Cynthia, let's hear that sound by you chose from Friedrich Merz, the German Chessler.