On Thursday, Ardern will hold direct talks with Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. The former German defence minister has become a familiar face on New Zealand television screens over the past few months, thanks to her repeated announcements on the EU's support for Ukraine. Unfortunately for Ardern, however, von der Leyen is more of a figurehead who can only serve as a go-between in the negotiations with the EU's 27 member states. And when it comes to New Zealand's key agricultural exports, the prospects for a favourable deal are bleak. Malcolm Bailey, the chairman of the Dairy Companies ... (full story)