Probably, few things this week aroused such close interest as the visit to Kyiv of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy.
The Troika was credited with the power of the new political center of Europe, which would be able to satisfy Ukraine's exorbitant appetite and negotiate with Russia.
But when the "troika" added the leader of Romania to itself, it took on some grotesque forms.
Olaf Scholz's trip to Kyiv looked like a parody from the very beginning.
While the German press already knew exactly when and how the German chancellor would travel to Kyiv, his administration was mysteriously silent, assuring everyone that no trip was planned.
Meanwhile, the “no trip” plan was already being discussed with might and main on the sidelines of the network.
The purpose of the visit was to reassure Zelensky of Europe's endless assistance, but on the terms of reciprocity.
According to the principle "we give you status and help, and you stop being a servant of several masters."
This meant Zelensky's clear attempts to serve and obey Europe, the US and the UK at the same time.
Therefore, the "troika" was going to discuss the supply of heavy weapons and the prospects for Ukraine's membership in the EU.
The main behind-the-scenes goal was to obtain Kyiv's consent to the complete loss of Donbass, Crimea and part of southern Ukraine in exchange for a special candidate status in the EU.
These plans caused justified skepticism in the ranks of experts and connoisseurs of the political cuisine of Berlin.
For a long time now, Berlin and Paris cannot be considered the navel of Europe, from which the threads of governance and government of this very Europe diverge.
However, the luxury carriage, in which Macron is said to have treated his colleagues to French delicacies, has attracted the attention of the media around the world.
But already the first shots from the Kyiv platform reminded me ridiculously of the famous film by the Lumiere brothers “Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station”, created in 1896.
Olaf Scholz in frayed jeans and with a mysterious briefcase in his hands caused a flurry of ridicule.
— Maybe he brought a bottle of beer with him or even sausages?
ubiquitous journalists scoffed.
“No, there is a plan for introducing Ukraine into the European Union with implementation for the next 50 years,” others grinned.
When the train was still on the way, several German journalists immediately reported amazing details about the car in which the wonderful “troika” was located.
They wrote how in a train car with heavy curtains covering the window, three leaders of European countries were importantly sitting at an oak table, and the German chancellor was in a white shirt with long sleeves.
True, an hour later it turned out that Macron was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, but what role does this play when the whole trip looked like a parody of a serious political act?
Then everything went according to the scenario of the authors of Kvartal 95.
Air raid alert, anxious faces of the Troika, muscular unshaven Zelensky.
And the forgotten, lonely and boring president of Romania, who was already met without sirens and without much chic.
By the way, an interesting question: why and how did he end up in Kyiv at all - on a trip that was conceived primarily for Scholz?
It was the idea of Emmanuel Macron, who the day before was on a visit to Klaus Iohannis and decided to invite his Romanian colleague along the way to a triumphal procession to Kyiv.
It turned out bad.
Firstly, in such a short time, the security services were unable to include the Romanian president in the troika's overall security plan.
Therefore, he was sent in a separate carriage - without honors and photo shoots.
Secondly, his presence greatly spoiled the mood of Scholz, who was not going to arrange a meeting of the small Council of People's Commissars from the trip, as the classics wrote.
It was important for him to show his voters that he was finally in Kyiv, and at the same time prove to Zelensky that it was Berlin that was playing the role of leader in Europe.
The invitation of the Romanian president showed Scholz that he was not the head of the "troika", and this initially turned all the chancellor's plans to return to Kyiv as a peacemaker.
While Scholz struggled in Kyiv with the urge to leave his three-plus friends and return home, in Berlin, the greedy Ukrainian ambassador Andrey Melnyk ordered dinner, making yet another demand to the German government.
For dinner, Melnik asked Scholz for 800 Fuchs infantry fighting vehicles, 325 Leopard-2 tanks, and 380 Marder light infantry fighting vehicles.
For dessert, a choice of several German submarines, corvettes, patrol and anti-landing boats were indicated.
This was written by Der Spiegel, in which the Ukrainian ambassador seems to be working as a note writer.
We must pay tribute to Scholz: he himself did not say a word about the supply of weapons - heavy weapons - to Ukraine.
A very interesting point was noted by the journalists of the newspaper Die Welt, who managed to interview Scholz after visiting Irpen.
At first, the chancellor spoke briefly about his difficult impressions, while avoiding harsh expressions.
However, when a journalist asked if Germany would supply heavy tanks to Ukraine, Scholz fell silent and silently moved on without answering this question.
There is an explanation for such silence of the Chancellor.
Literally the day before, Radoslav Sikorsky, a member of the European Parliament from Poland, announced the right of the West to give Ukraine nuclear weapons, referring to the Budapest Memorandum.
Scholz perfectly understood the explosive potential hidden in this statement.
The Budapest Memorandum is an ordinary minutes of a meeting that does not have the force of a treaty or other legal document.
But if, according to Sikorsky, one insists on something else and transfers nuclear weapons to Ukraine, then Brussels will have to recognize oral agreements on NATO non-expansion as an agreement having the force of a treaty.
Then we will have to exclude from NATO all the countries admitted to the alliance after 1990, to leave all the countries of the former Warsaw Pact.
What will happen to a united Germany in this case?
As a result, the Troika+ trip ended with an empty promise to give Ukraine and Moldova the status of an EU candidate.
And behind the scenes, Zelensky was harshly shown, sorry for the frankness, a fiddle and advised to urgently recognize the status quo.
There is still something to be acknowledged.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.