russian attack was close massive economic and financial sanctions and saying that europe is prepared. okay, we're keeping an eye on that press conference. let's bring in our chief international editor, richard walker, who's following all of this of for us. i, richard, you know, we have seen this, this incredible flurry of diplomatic activity last week and this week as well, to try to diffuse detentions, to try to rally the west through a common position. so can you remind us of what we've seen happen really? of the last week and a half yet it's been lose him in virtually every single day of the last week and a half or so that there's been a major diplomatic encounter of some kind. it began at the beginning of last week in geneva, where there were bilateral talk, so talks just between the united states and russia on the level of this framework of meetings that they set up last summer called the cert strategic security dialogue at strategic stability dialogue rather so those were talk to, were initiated last year to, to try to even out some of the big issues facing the relationship between the

western russia. now they've been kind of brought into this ukraine crisis as a platform there to we had bilateral meetings there, then the talks moved to brussels, where you had meeting a meeting between russia and all of the nato member states. so all of the nato member states, they're getting a chance to speak to the russians and to her here, the russian point of view. then later that week you had a meeting of what's called the o. s. c, e, and even larger grouping of you on european security between russia and them. and then this week we've seen even more meetings or anna, lena bear, bach, for instance, the german foreign minister. she was in moscow to meet her counterpart there, sergey love ralph during the week. also the german chancellor. was he a meeting the nato secretary general here in berlin? and today, of course, berlin, once again, the center stage of the diplomatic activities going on with this meeting of what's called the transatlantic quad. this is a grouping that's not often really in the limelight but between germany,

the u. k. france and the united states trying to show that all 4 of those big important nato member states are very much on the same page and all of that diplomatic activity. richard, back to the question, which we talked about a little bit earlier in the show, is any of this really having an effect as any of that moving the needle in terms of defusing, the situation, or the tensions of a russian ukraine? well, we certainly haven't seen any signs of attention diffusing so far. but for instance, analynn above the term for ministers. also some caution not have too high expectations of any massive change in the situation happening so quickly that this is still very much in the period of, of the 2 sides trying to work out where the other side stands. what we have now with this meeting of the 4 nature member states here in berlin, he's trying to ensure that all 4 of them are very much on the same page in terms of the sort of package of deterrents that they want to present to the russians to try to prevent the russians from taking any military action. and it's that then the

tony blink and wants to take to his meeting with sag a level of to morrow and geneva. and i think that's going to be a very important meeting to watch because that will be the 1st time after all of these rounds of, of, of diplomacy for the 2 side to kind of get together and think. all right, is there any kind of common ground that any area where they can find agreement or are they really quite seriously deadlocked? dan, deed, very high stakes richard and i, we are both of us keeping an eye on that press conference to see if the german foreign minister and us secretary of state come out. they're expected to deliver that press conference any moment now. and indeed, richard, you know, as, as antony blinking has come here to berlin to really rally the european effort allies around a common approach to russia, a common dialogue with russia. it bears mentioning again that there have been, there has been some dissidence indeed in germany itself. the government here at times really has been at odds over their own approach to russia, haven't de that's right. i mean, this is a longstanding issue in germany. really,

a sort of anguish of how to deal with russia that has intensified in recent years is as relations between russia and the west of worse and is what is germany's role here. germany is always seen itself as a potential bridge between the western russia. as, as, as it is a force for foot for trying to find common ground and always keeping diplomatic and communication channels open. and this is something the angular macro during her 16 years in office really tried persistently to do. now we have a new government in place and the new coalition is quite interesting gathering of different parties because what you have is the largest parties, the social democratic party. and that's the party that really is most closely identified with trying to achieve good relations with russia. that is a party that has been soft peddling on the idea of potentially bringing in this

gas pipeline between russia and germany ignored stream to as a potential target of sanctions that party in charge. and that's the party of the chancellor love shows, and then in charge of the foreign ministry and lena babel, who were about to see in a minute, she's a member of the green party and the green party has been much more critical of russia and also china it's a party that's really closely focused on human rights as, as the sort of basis of its foreign policy. it's been very critical of that nord stream to gasp, pipeline all alone. so this has been a question, is whether germany would really be prepared to push back as hard as other western countries on russia in terms of sanctions, if russia does mount some military action. what we did see during the flurry of diplomacy this, we can berlin with nato's secretary general against dalton, back here. all of sholtes after their meeting confirmed it least implicitly that he

would consider putting a stop to that gas pipeline. or if russia did take military action, so that was seems a major step of what i think one thing i'll be looking for in this press conference coming up now. is it how explicitly do tony blinking? and, and alina burbock refer to that, do, does bear book or come out really clearly and say, yes, we've got our own old stream to that would be an interesting step. and that would be something that the americans would certainly welcome. yeah, certainly an issue that caused a lot of headaches over in washington, also in the european union. i want to ask you where europe stands and all of this, we had a vice president of the european parliament, catalina barley on the program yesterday. and she talked about the fact that perhaps one of the weaknesses of the european position is that there are 27 member states trying to find one position. and they are perhaps not able to act as quickly as washington for example. so where does the european union stand in? it's response to russian aggression and working together with its allies. yet the european union is kind of almost justifiably feeling

a little bit left out of all of this. all of this diplomacy that's been going on here because all of that diplomacy that i just listed there at the european union was not really in the focus of any of that. as far as europe is involved, really center stages, nato. and of course, there's a lot of overlap between nato and the european union, but it's not complete. but we've also seen, you know, potential for a, almost a kind of a collision of european union versus nato approaches to this situation. just yesterday, in the speech by a manual, my call in brussels, where he was discussing the french presidency of the european council which has just begun. so this is, each member of state of the european union takes the presidency of this body of the european council on a rotating basis. and now it's frances turn. and in his speech a man, while my call and talks about the european union, it was time for the european union in the weeks ahead to come up with proposals for

an entirely new security order in europe that could then be discussed with the russians. and this ruffling some feathers, were people thinking, gosh, is he trying to create a kind of parallel approach to dealing with russia outside nato? there been some voices saying no, that this will be complimentary to nato, but that just gives a little bit of a sense of the potential kind of complexity of dealing with this. with this situation that we face ourselves with and l d. richard, i'm just going to jump in their opinion that that press conference is the beginning . richard the left listener. hey, man. dev hadn't done when tan eva, tawny had taken a. com. yes, i love my can. yes. again. belinda manor do with getting in touch maybe it's her and

anyway, each other so often know we know german thank you very much. please don't vote with the only kind going other why? my for either surely wouldn't targeted. i'm going to have him leave i. tony had to literally come here in indian and i know what was the foreign spider there into a here director, stephan clinton on dr. norma, i was talking to come to the director here a montague var went down to speak with colleague, and they're offended, mong and game stopped. mind my targets, look in moscow, mon forwards, i'm stephens intake card guy. it's been quite a mind them mid wasn't lunch,

but eating them the talk. we met with the french and he's about a stylish avoided. is it that i'm done with people? my team owned on as team. i was land with carina. i've off the long special ones on to i nanda, in zebra zion chron to get out what is happening to your health. but when done anything from all the asked for guns guns, courts in washington, dc. good mines. i'm fine, marcia, and i'm z. as in our schmidt and nasty and rude and z i and also schmidt incident and and partner going on partner i didn't hear from you either and you've been out all night long. come on zayden and not to have extra d hinder on sleep or id interns. even parenting mom does not or who slam artist in that was said, it was on finding of sheila, even a haven't been deter from hoyt is part now on point that. so i know which tons of

numbers not owned, not food readiness from scripted to disc routine on until oppose it soon. he had thought, never mind them sebastian, discuss the next that isn't on. i'm is the, i think a big our tech he's a is i will, you just are big on. these are big hood move. i didn't look that ones were, but i had start to have a good with you to speak, a little toggle and bottom of an even and, and i and for martin's, they are doing this came out later speakers also for hayden, vita in another star home leave russia, the bizarre visiting an activity didn't invite, had zoom to lead so much the do if you to open paralegal enough bill i was on to minds. i'm immediately, i'm a new guy. incleanse could be 2 out in krajina and recently. okay. our apologies for your is there, we've been there just a dipping into that press conference with the german foreign minister on elena bock and her counterpart from washington. the u. s. secretary of state entity blinkin, who is here visiting

a just to take you through briefly what she was saying. she was giving things to any blanket for the open talks. and as she was saying that they had met india, trans atlantic quad consolation. so with the british and french counterparts as well. and she said it's become clear that the talks over the last few days with allies between allies couldn't have been more intensive that they've been in close contact on this issue on the tensions between russia and ukraine on this effort to thwart work, to deter rather a russian incursion in ukraine and she had just said they're that they're meeting as partners and i lies was really to take stock and make sure that they have a common position. that is significant, of course, because the antony blink in the u. s. secretary, the secretary of state is heading to geneva to meet his russian counterparts. are gay lever off tomorrow. so that's as far as we got with the german foreign minister at the moment. again, we have some issues with our translation there, which is why we just pulled out of that. as soon as antony blinking starts to speak in english,

we will dip into that live. and i've just heard that the translation is working. so let's see if we can listen and again it with the protective shield. and this is expressly true in cases where this might have economic consequences for ourselves. very often you have been asking us as we are engaging in these formats, you have asked us if these are engagements, have only meant a mini mil. see the plans for all of us. they're taking one millimeter by millimeter. we will continue to do, sir, because each and every millimeter is worth while our every, every 1000000 meter means a little bit greater security for the people in europe. and that i believe is the most important task politicians to provide for that security. nato secretary general started back yesterday in y state our allies and russia to attend further meetings of the nato, russia council. yes,

let me on the line that all of that is hard work. it is a tedious work, but nevertheless it's in times where silence ruled over so many weeks and over the last 2 years. this is a good and important signal. it also shows that after the meetings of the past week, we haven't used this format with russia to engage with russia and that there is potential in that family as we engage with russia in the o. c. e. but also in the many bilateral exchanges we've had with russia recently. and i would expressly like to mention in this context, the normandy firm that it is one of the 4 very important strands for dialogue that we've been using these days. and that are available to us these days together with francis i personally and we don't even know that a young will personally do what we can in order to breathe fresh life into that format. the leeway that form an open site i will be explored buys on either

myself as we planned to visit ukraine together soon. and tony, we also talked to be route about you run in the chase if you're a today. and he, again, we are pulling in the same direction together. unfortunately, here too, we have come to stay in the ongoing negotiations in vienne de core issues regarding the nuclear topics. but also with and i to lifting sanctions are still waiting for a solution. and employ know we run continues to expand its nuclear program. that's the window for solutions. increasingly, ag lewis towards being shut him out, negotiations have entered a decisive phase and we need to urgently make concrete progress. because otherwise we will not succeed in reaching an agreement, which would be sufficient in providing additional value added on the central issue of non proliferation. we also talk about a few other topics today that time was really of the.