Guest Name: Anatol Lieven • Affiliation: Eurasia Project Director of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft • Summary: The conversation critically examines a proposal for a Eurocentric security force in Ukraine, highlighting its practical unfeasi
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 5 September 2025
⏱️ 14 minutes
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Summary
• Affiliation: Eurasia Project Director of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
• Summary: The conversation critically examines a proposal for a Eurocentric security force in Ukraine, highlighting its practical unfeasibility given European military limitations and domestic fiscal challenges, particularly in France. It suggests the proposal might be political grandstanding or a strategy to "trap" the US. Ukraine's strategy aims to wear Russia down to concede on demands, recognizing they cannot achieve a full military victory.
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| 0:30.1 | This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor. |
| 0:37.4 | Ukraine crisis. I welcome Anatole-Levin, the Eurasia Project Director at the Quincy Institute for Responsible |
| 0:38.7 | Statecraft, writing most recently in respect to a proposal by a former General Secretary |
| 0:46.8 | of NATO, Anders Fogg Rasmussen, published prominently on the front page of the Financial |
| 0:54.0 | Times that I read, and recommending |
| 0:57.8 | right now changes be made in assumptions about how to end the Ukraine conflict. |
| 1:03.4 | The chief idea that comes up early on in the piece is a Eurocentric force guaranteeing security |
| 1:10.6 | with an Article 5 like codicel that the countries participating in would all sign on to, that is uniformed defense. |
| 1:21.5 | Atatoll, a very good evening, too. You've written very poignantly that this is not an idea that will go forward. |
| 1:29.0 | So then why is Mr. Rasmussen bringing that idea forward at this time? |
| 1:33.7 | Who does it please? |
| 1:35.1 | Who's his audience for a Eurocentric force? |
| 1:39.2 | Well, he was writing in advance of the meeting today in Paris of this so-called coalition |
| 1:46.4 | of the willing to create or lay the basis for a reassurance force in Ukraine. |
| 1:54.8 | So they were the people in the first instance he was trying to influence. |
| 1:59.1 | Rasmussen also, one should note, is now an advisor to the |
| 2:04.4 | Ukrainian government. So you also have to assume that he is reflecting Ukrainian views or wishes. |
| 2:13.3 | But there were some things in Rasmussen's proposal, which made me think that this can't be a serious proposal at all because he, in terms of actually creating such a force, because amongst other things, he said that this force should be deployed |
| 2:36.4 | to Ukraine, not after a peace settlement, which is or a ceasefire, which is what all the other |
| 2:44.1 | leaders are talking about, but in advance of a ceasefire, in other words, while the war is still |
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