Per a story in the Daily Mail (U.K.), Russia will meet with Germany, France, and Ukraine in two weeks to discuss the situation in Ukraine, with emphasis on Russia's perceived "security needs." The U.S. and NATO will be pointedly left out of the discussion.
I guess we now know the answer to my Thursday question whether Germany was/is on board with Joe Biden's plan for action in support of Ukraine. It seems Germany is not, perhaps neither is France.
If France, Germany or both agree to oppose Ukraine's hoped-for membership in NATO, Ukraine can forget becoming a member. NATO decisions require unanimous consent of the existing members.
If that is all it will take to keep Putin happy, it could solve the stand-off and prevent a bloodbath. Germany and France must be relatively certain that, unlike Trump, Biden won't go ballistic over their independent diplomatic efforts. Imagine how negatively their action will be viewed in the Baltics, Finland, Poland, and Romania.
It begins to look like Putin's bluff will work. Expect to see the pundit class writing comparisons with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Munich in the not-too-distant future.
Our times continue to be "interesting."
