If one were to take individual remarks from Moscow about the talks that are now starting in Geneva about the aggravated situation on the Ukrainian border by Russia, one would have to give up the negotiations.
In Geneva, it is said that under no circumstances should Russia make any concessions to the USA or NATO.
Moscow also knows that this is exactly the point of all negotiations.
And so it is good that the talks begin now.
Peter Sturm
Editor in politics, responsible for "Political Books".
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The less content is shown in public from Monday, the better.
Therefore, one will have to pay more attention to the Russian and Russian-influenced media.
The more shrill the accompanying music there is, the more likely it is to suspect that the Kremlin in Geneva is primarily concerned with gaining a free hand for other kinds of actions by a failure of the diplomatic approach.
Wrong signal
For Vladimir Putin, the states of Eastern and Central Europe are entities with limited sovereignty, whose fate he wants to decide: if possible, together with the Americans, but if necessary, Putin would also be ready to determine who is allowed to do what. In the West, and especially in Germany, too little is talked about this aspect. In this country, many are worried that the poor Russian president will not be expected to do too much. That is the wrong signal. Imagine the justified outcry if the Americans had announced before the talks began that under no circumstances could it be a question of making concessions in Geneva.
In the retrofitting debate 40 years ago, the Soviet leadership believed that the West would not be able to enforce the stationing of its own weapons against a skeptical public.
Leonid Brezhnev and his successors were wrong.
The West should save Putin from making a similar mistake.
Unity ensures peace.