chancellor olaf scholz promised dramatic change. my guest is the state secretary for economic cooperation niels annen. so has germany got a new strategic vision? niels annen, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. pleasure. it is great to be here. let s start with the war in ukraine. i think there is no doubt that putin s invasion of ukraine shocked germany. would it be fair to say it has also destabilised germany? no, i don t think so but it certainly shocked germany because a lot of our economic model was based on the assumption that we would continue using cheap russian natural gas and it was also based in a kind of historic, i want to say historic experience that although russia was a competitor and an enemy in the cold war, it was always also in economic terms quite a reliable partner. i think that was somehow, you know, is seen as a constant policy, and we did not really realise that it is not the soviet union anymore, it is a brutal dictator and an unpredictable dictator. but
my guest is state secretary for economic cooperation niels annen. so, has germany got a new strategic vision? niels annen, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. pleasure. well, it s great to be here. let s start with the war in ukraine. i think there s no doubt that putin s invasion of ukraine shocked germany. would it be fair to say it has also destabilised germany? no, i don t think so. but it certainly shocked germany because a lot of our economic model was based on the assumption that we would continue using cheap russian natural gas. and it was also based in a kind of historic, should i say, historic experience that although russia was a competitor and an enemy in the cold war, it was always also, in economic terms, a quite reliable partner. and i think that was somehow, you know, seen as a constant policy. and we did not really realise that it s not the soviet union any more. it s a brutal dictator and an unpredictable dictator. but what you ve just described is a very big de
bakhmut in ukraine. and the reason this matters, jake, is because the fight for bakhmut, as has become the case with much of the war in ukraine, has become a war of attrition that military and intelligence officials increasingly say is really likely to turn on access to artillery ammunition, which side is able to sustain its supply of artillery ammunition the longest. one senior western intelligence official that i spoke to earlier today said in bakhmut alone, the two sides are spending up to multiple thousands of rounds of ammunition a day, which is just staggering. so what north korea is doing here is really helping wagner, and by extension the russian side, perpetuate this fight in bakhmut that our sources say has left this part of ukraine looking like they re done. will the weapons and ammunition from north korea make a difference in ukraine? not necessarily from a broader strategic perspective. the fight in bakhmut specifically is not seen, even if russia is able to
not. my focus is to get justice for halyna hutchins and let everyone know just because you re an a-list actor, you re not going to be above the law. that is the special prosecutor in the rust shooting case speaking with nbc news after announcing alec baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of cinematographer halyna hutchins. we ll have much more on this case and this surprising decision in just a moment. president biden s new comments about the investigation into the classified documents found at his home and personal office. we ll play for you that new information, that sound from him. also ahead, we ll explain why his administration is optimistic about the incendiary conservatives who are now serving on the house oversight committee. plus a live report from ukraine as dozens of allies are meeting to determine what military aid is needed to fend off russian forces. good morning, and welcome to morning joe. it is friday, january