BUT MUTI MADE IT LOOK SO EASY...:

[A]fter two months at the helm of a three-party coalition, the Social Democrat is under fire on multiple fronts, accused of failing to show leadership, sending muddled messages and taking too soft a line with Moscow in its showdown with Ukraine and the West.

Berlin's decision not to deliver defensive weapons to Ukraine, and its moves to block allies from sending arms as well, have incensed some allies, particularly in Eastern Europe. A reluctance to state clearly that the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be hit by sanctions if Moscow attacks Ukraine also angered many, particularly in Washington.

"Berlin, we have a problem," Germany's ambassador to the U.S., Emily Haber, wrote in a leaked diplomatic cable at the end of last month, warning that a growing number of politicians in Washington were branding Germany an "unreliable partner." Haber even appeared on Fox News -- not natural terrain for a career diplomat -- as part of an effort to push back against the bad press.

Back home, the chancellor has been heavily criticized for being largely absent while his government got hammered by allies and international media for seemingly failing its first big foreign policy test.

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