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This is John Battister. Conversation with my colleague Anatole Leaven of the Quincy Institute about the possibility of Europe

taking the lead in the Ukraine conflict.

Europe taking the lead not only as a supplier and a military bulwark, but also as a political voice to lead to negotiations

and armistice something that is not just a stalemate or Ukraine back on its heels without enough amo. The reports are routine now

that Ukraine is winding down its ability to resist the Russian aggression. What is to be done? I ask Anatole, is there a person in Europe can take the lead

given the reluctance of the Republican Party and the doubts about Ukraine from the

leading candidate for the Republican Party for the presidency.

And until the answer is in a very careful way and also comes to the opinion about how long Ukraine can last without funding, without

ammo, without leadership from the United States.

Here's that until leave it.

Nobody. I'm afraid. And that is also because the Europeans, you know, having the French and Germans, reached the Minsk II agreement on a ceasefire and peace in the Donbass

then did nothing to sustain it.

And the statements by the then French and German leaders, Hollande and Merkel, that this was basically

a trick. They never intended to hold the Ukrainians to the agreement. It was just a way to gain Ukraine more time to rearm. That has destroyed trust in France and well in the present French and German establishments in Russia. And both the French and German governments are now much too weak, really, to initiate something like that. Now if Trump is elected and Europe looks as if it's going to be left on its own,

then they may be impelled into a peace initiative they would simply have no

no choice but I think they won't do anything of that kind until after the US elections.

And so, you know, it's a question of whether the Congress will come through with the aid. I think they will in the end.

...