Good evening. The show begins tonight in Ukraine, a peace plan draft brought forward by Anatole Levin and his colleague George Beebe, looking to freeze the battle lines where they are right now.

And trading. The European Union trades compromise of the whole war, stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine. If Russia accepts

the bounds of what the battle lines are now, more. No NATO, yes, but EU, yes. More to the point,

a reassurance force in some kind, perhaps drawn from the global South UN countries,

much more to the plan. It's pieces of things we've talked about before or the major powers

have talked about. It needs leadership, and Anatole is adamant. Regrettably, the Trump administration is reluctant to lead

after the last phone call by the president,

but it needs the U.S. to lead the peace plan.

And then a conversation about the black market in Shanghai

and in all of China.

Say a factory produces Gucci bags, very expensive, I understand.

Or whatever extravagant purchase item is available in the best stores in Paris and London, New York.

And there's an order for a thousand.

The factory produces 1,200.

200 of them go to the black market, cut rate.

That's the Chinese consumer. That's the assumption.

It's apparently an underground market in

Shanghai that is shopped by

foreigners, people coming in, and locals.

Maybe they even get it cheaper somewhere.

Chinese cut rate. Bargain basement. You betcha.

And China is pitching to the Americas. What can we do for you? Whereas the Trump administration not showing up, says Mary Anastasio Grady. Malcolm joins me. Malcolm Honline joins me.

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