This is the Friends of History Debating Society. I am Gaius.

Germanicus is here. We're in Lundinium. It is springtime, 91 AD. Demission is in Rome,

very far away. The Senate's unhappy with him, just as usual. We are sitting in our wine cups,

speculating about the 21st century and things have taken a surprisingly recognizable turn. It's wonderful. Here to four we've been talking about

battles and attackums and air power and drones. Striking at the infrastructure and evacuations.

Now we get to talk about money, something the Roman Empire understood.

We begin, however, with observations of how the negotiations are going between Moscow and Washington.

Note that the wars in Ukraine, but Moscow and Washington. Note that.

The war is in Ukraine,

but Moscow and Washington are talking.

I'm unaware that Ukraine is in the room

unless you count the Russian negotiator.

His name is Kiril Demetriyev.

He's Ukrainian.

He is the master of the Russian sovereign wealth fund.

He was educated in America.

He was a consultant in America before he went back to Russia.

Putin sent a central banker to negotiate with Steve Whitkoff, who's also not warrior class,

not a uniform wearing jump out of an airplane guy.

He's a negotiator.

They're looking for numbers.

What do we know about this negotiation?

...