Ukraine is Keeping Putin in Check (Keeping the World Company)

Ukraine is Keeping Putin in Check; Germany and the Rest of the EU Has Committed Itself to Support Ukraine Now and in the Future (Keeping the World Company). The hosts for this show were Jay Fidell and Tim Apicella. The guests were Benjamin Davis and Jean Rosenfeld. The discussion was: Germany, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is positioning itself as the 'center' of Europe, by which he appears to accept a first among equals role in the EU after delivering a strong speech at the Munich Security Conference in Brussels that ranks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's landmark speech that messaged that Canada is pivoting to its alliance with European nations and NATO, since it can no longer depend on the U.S. Chancellor Merz affirmed that Germany and Europe, as well as Canada will cooperate in funding NATO by contributing 5% of their GDP to the military alliance. He stated that although the U.S. is retreating and perhaps facing the limits of its power in a world that is heading to a 'dark place,' Germany and Europe will not separate from America. He was leaving the door open without kicking it down and signaling that perhaps in a post Trump administration the US and Europe would find a way to collaborate without tariffs and with Ukraine. The audience applauded at the mention that for the past year Europe has supplied Ukraine with weaponry, financial support, and the promise of rebuilding. Ukraine has directed its effective drone warfare to occupied Crimea and sent missiles to military production and support sites in Russia, scoring hits as far as Moscow, signaling to Russia that Crimea belongs to Ukraine and Russia remains vulnerable to Ukrainian attack. Russia is suffering a reduced supply of oil from Iran and the Gulf, while the US is mired in the Iran conflict it started with Israel and the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Meanwhile, Merz reassured Europe that although Germany will contribute to Europe's defense-and its own- it will never again travel down the dark path to fascism, but will cooperate with the EU. He referred to the US as needing a strong Europe as much as Europe hopes to count on the US in the future. He also hinted that the EU could come to the aid of of any member that needs military support under its Article 42. Although it will take time for Europe to attain a critical self-defense posture--the gap between intent and means now--he affirmed that it has the potential to be a great power, as the US winds down. The takeaway was: Meanwhile, Ukraine is keeping Russia in check, and its population is resigned to a war that will not end soon. It appears that Ukraine's desire to become a recognized and functioning part of Europe is aligned with Europe's desire to align with Ukraine in the face of Russia and Putin's 'Eurasian' aspirations to dominate both Ukraine and the Atlantic states while the United States turns away from its leadership of the postwar Pax Americana and embraces a muscular nationalism. The YouTube Playlist for this show is:    • Keeping the World Company   Please visit our ThinkTech website at https://thinktechhawaii.com for great content and community. The hashtag keywords for this show are: #Benjamin_Davis #Jean_Rosenfeld #Tim_Apicella #Germany #the_EU #Chancellor_Friedrich_Merz #Munich_Security_Conference #Brussels #Canadian_Prime_Minister_Mark_Carney #Canada #NATO #United_States #Germany #Ukraine #Trump #drone_warfare #Crimea #Russia #Putin #Moscow #oil_from_Iran #oil_from_the_Gulf #US_war_with_Iran #Israel #Strait_of_Hormuz #fascism #Pax_Americana #nationalism. Our vision is to be a leader in shaping a more vital and thriving Hawaii as the foundation for future generations. Our mission is to be the leading digital media platform raising public awareness and promoting civic engagement in Hawaii. As part of that mission, we also provide a Commentaries platform for public expression on public issues. ThinkTech Hawaii is a Hawaii Non-Profit Corporation: CEO, Producer - Jay Fidell; EVP and COO - Carol Mon Lee; Video Editor - Malcolm Mekaru; Administration - Maria Padilla. ThinkTech treats this video as licensed under a creative commons license, and invites the public to view, distribute, disseminate and share it under the terms of that license. The information in this video is not to be relied upon as legal, medical, accounting or other professional advice. For legal, medical, accounting or any other advice, please consult with your own professionals. The views and opinions expressed by the producers or participants in these programs do not necessarily represent the views of ThinkTech or its officers, directors, management or staff. We thank our viewers and listeners for their interest in our coverage and content and for their consideration of the views and opinions expressed in these programs.