This is John Batcher.

Conversation with my colleague Anato Leaven of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

about a peace initiative in Europe over Ukraine, a peace initiative.

Moscow is offering to talk.

There's Switzerland offering to host a peace summit.

There's Davos, but Russia disdained it

because it was not invited. A peace initiative.

Anatole analyzes why the Europeans would bring forth and what Europeans would bring forth such a document a peace initiative

peace talks separate from the US why having to do with the election cycle and as

Anatold says the Europeans are waking up. We've got two major

candidates and one of them could win and one of those candidates has said very

clearly that Ukraine is not in the interests of his administration.

So here's Anatole even on Europe Waking Up, Peace Initiative, and where that peace initiative would come from if it is to be offered to Russia and Ukraine.

And I told even Quincy Institute.

Well, you know, Europe is, as you've said, deeply divided and all over the place at the moment.

Part of the problem is that the Europeans have finally woken up to the possibility, I mean strong possibility that Trump will win in November and be the next US president, which could leave the Europeans looking extremely

isolated. And so while the Germans, the German government, not necessarily, you know, majority of the German people,

appears determined to press ahead with all without the European Union.

Other countries are getting to heck.

But so far that there is no evidence of an impending European peace initiative because that would have to come from the French and the Germans and the European Union could not launch it.

I mean, A, because the present leadership of the European Union is very hard for Americans.

But also, as you say, you could never get the 27 countries to agree so it would have to be a

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