Trump Calls Putin Ahead of Key Meeting: Realistic or Pro-Russia? | WION

In this “Counterpoint” program from India’s largest global English language broadcaster in which I participated this morning, I was pleased to find precisely the debating partner who is so elusive in the podcast world: worldly wise, civilized and holding views on the subject at hand that may be 180 degrees at variance with my own.

The fellow panelist was Joachim Bitterlich. He is described by the WION presenter as a former German ambassador to NATO, but I think it is more relevant to the discussion that he served as European, Diplomatic and Security Advisor to Helmut Kohl in the critically important period of 1988 and later. See his more detailed profile at https://www.bruegel.org/people/joachim-bitterlich

Too bad that the conversation was just getting underway when it ended. It cried for a continuation in some quiet club room, ensconced in leather armchairs and with a whiskey in hand.  There would be no name-calling, no questions like the infamous one I took from Former Chair of the EU Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee Elmar Brok (German – CDU): “How much did Putin pay you to say that?”

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.