1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Catherine Field, morning to you, Good morning money. Your observation. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: Does Paris do Christmas? Will? 3 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 2: Ah? Does it? Brilliantly? Mike, Ah, you should be here. 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: Well, I've never been to Paris at Christmas time, but 5 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: I have been to London. London v Paris. Who would 6 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: you call? 7 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 2: Come on, there's a loaded question, of course, I'm going 8 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 2: to say. 9 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Paris, fair enough. So anyway, where are we at? Rubio's 10 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: in town has been and they're all there with Coffin 11 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: and co. So we're down to what nineteen points? Where 12 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: does this go? 13 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 2: At the moment we really don't know if it's going 14 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 2: to go anywhere. Here's the problem, Mike. The proposal to 15 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:42,040 Speaker 2: end the conflict in Ukraine seems to be roundly rejected. 16 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 2: It's been put forward as a proposal that came from 17 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,279 Speaker 2: the White House. Then it seems to have come from 18 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: the State Apartment then, and anyway, it seemed that it 19 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 2: was really Russia's proposal that was a pretty much a 20 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 2: take it or leave it along the lines of an 21 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 2: agreement which they put forward several years ago. Here's the 22 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 2: problem for Ukraine. Even if they agreed to this twenty 23 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 2: eight point plan, which is now nineteen points. It would 24 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 2: leave Ukraine with an unjust piece, which would then of 25 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 2: course not be a lasting peace because the plan as 26 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 2: it was put forward, restricted Ukraine from the size of 27 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 2: its own forces, restricted from joining NATO, and of course 28 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 2: it would lose large parts of its territory. So it 29 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 2: really wasn't going anywhere. The problem now is everyone's gone home. 30 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 2: We're still waiting to hear what the Ukrainians are going 31 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 2: to respond to it, how the Americans are going to respond, 32 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 2: And of course the Europeans they were completely blindsided by 33 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 2: this new plan that came forward. They scrambled to find 34 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 2: out what was going on. They have now pretty much 35 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 2: liked Ukraine. They've had to start talking nice again to 36 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: the US to try and bring them back from the 37 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 2: seemingly hardline peace Plan proposals. So we've had the Germans, 38 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 2: the French, and the United Kingdom the Brits saying this 39 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 2: piece plan cannot go anywhere. It borders, can't be changed 40 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 2: by force, you can't leave Ukraine week and anyway. At 41 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 2: the end of the day, Mike, and this has been 42 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 2: the interesting thing is that now that Europe is actually 43 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: footing most of the bill for Ukraine, it has a 44 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 2: stronger voice in these negotiations. So what they're saying is 45 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 2: calm down, everyone, go back to the drawing board, because 46 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 2: even with these nineteen points, everyone knows that the Russians 47 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 2: aren't going to agree to it. 48 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: Now this thing I alluded to a moment ago. Did 49 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: he steal this from Germany? So Germany is looking to 50 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: boost the ab standing army. They're going to have military service. 51 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: Is this the same thing that Macron's doing? 52 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: It is? Nakron sort of talked about it earlier this year, Mike. 53 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: What he wants to do is pretty much along the 54 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 2: same lines, not a compulsory mountry service, but a voluntary 55 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: service aimed at people aged eighteen years and over. Instead 56 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 2: of doing this sort of three or four years, it 57 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 2: could look at some why doing ten months service. Also, 58 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: some people have even called it a sort of summer job. 59 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 2: If you like, you go into the military, you train, 60 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 2: you get paid. You know, they really do have to 61 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: do something because they've got to get to their army 62 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 2: up to what some sort of ten by twenty thirty 63 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 2: reservers fifty twenty thirty five. You know, this sort of 64 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 2: does reflect what's going on in Europe's fears of what 65 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 2: Russia is up to. But it got something of a 66 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 2: jolt in the armor, if you like, Mike, last week 67 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 2: when the most senior military chief in France warned French 68 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 2: mayors that France should be ready to lose its children 69 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 2: in the case of a dispute with Russia in the 70 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: next ten fifteen years. So that's really got everyone thinking, Wow, 71 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: this is really much more important than we thought it was, 72 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 2: So Macron may well adjust this voluntary service a bit, Mike. 73 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 2: One of the theories that coming up with is that they 74 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 2: would be used for duties inside France, so would take 75 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 2: over said duties of patrolling powers streets during terrorist alerts, 76 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,120 Speaker 2: things like that, as opposed to having them serve abroad. 77 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: All right, Always blush, Cathery and catch up next week 78 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: Catherine the field in France. 79 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 80 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,159 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 81 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.