This episode was livestreamed on Sunday May, 12th at 6:00PM on YouTube and Twitter. Tune in at the same time this weekend to participate in a live broadcast.
It's a beautiful spring evening. The Thames is quiet. The centurions are hanging around, as they do when the weather is good and the light stays with us. Germanicus and I are enjoying the headlines from the 21st century.
We also enjoy the idea that the academy in the 21st century is the same academy here in the 1st century A.D.. How do I say that? The Roman Academy believes that we, equus class (the ones who have the property and earn the money, though the Greeks work for us) owe the Academy a living.
A very good living, by the way.
And complete protection! No outside source to interrupt their studies. That's the 1st century A.D.. Under the emperors of Rome in the 21st century, it is not profoundly different. We will explore that.
We begin, however, with headlines in the 21st century. I read them off from London. This is the Telegraph.
Knowing that the Telegraph has long associated with the Tories, that ancient party that no longer exists, the Tory Telegraph likes hot headlines—and these are pretty hot.
We start in the morning this morning. 9:06AM, London time: “Mr. Zelenskyy says Moscow has begun to consider ending the war.” This is Kyiv speaking thirty minutes later. “Mr. Trump in Washington says it's a ‘great day’ for Russia and Ukraine.”
Three hours later: Ankara, Turkey. Mr. Erdoğan “weighing in an unusual choice for an arbiter.”
Mr. Erdoğan “ready to host peace talks in Istanbul.”
Two hours after that: Mr. “Putin ignores calls for Ukraine cease fire.” That call came from a collective of the European Union's powerful states. Britain, France, Germany, all gathered together in Kyiv to support the idea of a ceasefire.
And three hours after that, “Ukraine should should agree to Putin's meeting ‘immediately,’ says Mr. Trump.”
The key detail here is that since we last talked of these matters, there's been a victory parade in Moscow, the 80th anniversary of the close of the Great Patriotic War.
You are puzzled. Why May 8th, this VE Day, and May 9th is the parade? Because the treaty for the surrender of Germany was signed at such an hour in Europe that it was 1:00AM in Moscow. So, Moscow decided, we'll celebrate both of them.
What we know is that Mr. Putin was standing next to Mr. Xi. Also in attendance was the largest state in the Americas after the United States—Brazil. Lula da Silva was present, the president of Brazil. So was the illegitimate dictator of Venezuela: Mr. Maduro was present.
A rich tapestry that Germanicus anticipated some time ago. Is this a surrender by Zelenskyy, ordered by Trump, or are we talking about weeks of double talk?
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The opinions expressed on this website and on The John Batchelor Show are those of John Batchelor and guests, and not those of CBS News.
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