 Given that path doesn't look very productive, what role should the Biden administration play right now in supporting peace talks to end the war in Ukraine? The first thing Biden should do himself is authorize Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, to talk to his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Russia. There is a verboten rule on both Jake Sullivan and Antony Blinken. They cannot talk to Sergei Lavrov. And, of course, Biden is not going to talk to Putin.