If Putin lets it be known that he has no cause for optimism in the dispute over Ukraine, then the Western messages seem to have arrived for the time being.
He could only be optimistic if he had gained the impression, especially in conversation with Biden, that he was getting closer to his stated goals: that NATO withdraws its promise of membership for Ukraine and Georgia and that no Western weapons are stationed near Russian borders .
Both demands were so unrealistic from the start that one wonders whether Putin really believes himself that he can reach them with a (still clear) threatening backdrop at the Ukrainian border.
The NATO states would jeopardize their credibility if they granted a third party, and a potential opponent at that, a veto right over joining the alliance and their military disposition.
The warning from the G-7 countries
If Putin hopes that at least some in (Western) Europe are ready to retreat behind his red lines, then the G-7 meeting over the weekend will not have encouraged him.
The unanimity with which the leading western industrialized countries warn him of new border violations is unmistakable.
The price that Putin would pay for an attack on Ukraine has not yet been precisely quantified, but it is likely to be higher than in 2014. From a German perspective, the commissioning of Nord Stream 2 would hardly be justifiable.
For some things that Putin supposedly worried about, there were once solutions through arms control.
Russia is to blame for some, but not alone, of the termination of most of the relevant treaties.
A return to military transparency would be in the interests of all concerned.
The greatest threat to Putin, however, is a completely different one that he cannot negotiate away: the desire for self-determination and democratization in Eastern Europe.