Macron and Putin agree on trilateral talks "in next hours," lyse Palace says

[ificandream]

Source: CNN

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday on “working intensively to enable a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group to be held in the next few hours,” the Élysée Palace said in a readout of the call on Sunday.

The Élysée readout said the aim of the meeting would be to “obtain a commitment from all parties to a ceasefire on the line of contact.”

The Trilateral Contact Group includes representatives from Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Per the statement, the two leaders agreed on the need to “give priority to a diplomatic solution to the current crisis and to do everything possible to achieve it.”

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-news-02-20-22-intl/h_0b471a2e630cd6b08dd9a43ed30477e1

---

Given the constantly changing situation, I'm not sure how to feel about this. Crossing my fingers.

[onecaliberal]

1. I hope they can head this off.

[AZLD4Candidate]

2. Why do I smell a Neville Chamberlain moment coming?

[ificandream]

3. I think Macron is a little smarter than Chamberlain ...

I don't think that's where we're heading, but that's just a guess. Not if it was Trump, I'd agree with you.

[Irish_Dem]

4. The point is we simply don't know yet.

We could try the appeasement route only to have Putin invade Ukraine now or in the future anyway.

Or we could successfully negotiate a lasting peace.

Smart, good people in the beginning misread Hitler and his intentions.

[Aristus]

8. I think the term "appeasement" has been overused and misunderstood.

If Macron convinces Putin not to invade, and to back down from Ukraine's border, that's not appeasement; that's diplomacy. If Macron were to say to Putin: "You can have Ukraine without a fight as long as you promise not to invade anyone else", that's appeasement.

[AZLD4Candidate]

13. Hitler agreed not to, but did anyway after getting what he wanted

I am a history teacher. I think I know what appeasement is.

Anything less than Russia standing down, giving up Crimea, and not funding pro-Russian insurgents would be appeasement.

[imavoter]

20. how do you think this will play out?

if this goes south, I think we're gonna
need to get involved.

What do you think, as a historian.

[AZLD4Candidate]

21. I think the time to smack Putin was when he annexed Crimea, just like the time to smack Hitler

was when he re-armed the Rhineland.

Now, he's all set. I think war in inevitable.

You can't trust Putin to keep his word.

[Wounded Bear]

12. If it were truly a replay of Munich 1938, Ukraine would not be invited...

Chamberlain and the French signed away the Sudetenland to Hilter with Czechoslovakia not even present in the negotiations.

[orangecrush]

22. Yup

[DallasNE]

5. Putin Is Looking For A Way Out

And this does not include NATO directly so it can save face for Putin. But this would end, at least for now, Putin's dream of putting together the old Soviet bloc. But, until the details are known, no assessment can be made on winners and losers.

[qazplm135]

6. I think if you aren't about to invade

Why would you need a meeting within hours?

But I'm also not convinced Putin even knows what his next move will be.

[inanna]

7. This.

Exactly!

[Tom Rinaldo]

9. Conversely, if you are certain to invade within hours

What is the point in convening an emergency last possible minute charade meeting?

It can be looked at either way: Giving the appearance of having done everything possible to avert a war OR making one last attempt to find a way to climb down from a potentially disastrous act with unknowable consequences.

I'm not hopeful, but at this point any new diplomatic initiative is preferable to what otherwise is now seemingly an inevitable war.

[qazplm135]

10. they've been doing obvious charades

for the better part of a week.

The videos filmed on the 16th shown on the 18th for example. Or the two Ukrainian supposed spies they killed. Or the mass evacuations?

I'd lean a lot more towards this being more of the same.

[paleotn]

15. Your last sentence. Agreed. He very well might not.

His plans have not quite worked out the way he thought they would. We, and particularly our European allies, aren't following the damn script.

[demigoddess]

17. I think he threatened the Ukraine to get a concession out of the west that

makes him look good. or gives him money.

[Tommymac]

11. Telling that this news comes after China FINALLY weighed in and told Putin to STFU and withdraw

If Putin backs down it will be a HUGE win for President Biden's diplomacy and firm stance, have no doubt that he is the driving force behind the diplomacy and getting NATO to act in unison...

but don't expect the M$M to give him anything but a passing mention.

But lets wait and see.

I am optimistic as Putin has putined himself into a no win situation:

Invade and he eventually will be toppled from power plus bankrupting Russia and causing massive loss of life...

Back down and he loses International Face, will need to draw down the disinformation the Russian people are getting now (the TRUTH will eventually be seen by them), and looks very very weak and stupid to the whole World...but after all, the Truth is Putin IS weak and stupid. It's only his Criminally obtained money that keeps him in power - he is basically a Crime Boss.

[Sherman A1]

16. Any link to what the Chinese may have said

I haven't seen anything, but I've been away from the keyboard most of the day.

[Ghost Dog]

14. "(D)efining a new peace and security order in Europe."

That's the big picture this is all about.

[roamer65]

18. President Macron will solve it.

I know he can do it.

[Samrob]

19. Maybe Putin will withdraw and give kudos to Macron to embarrass Biden as another attempt

Last edited Mon Feb 21, 2022, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

to cause tension within the NATO alliance. Putin loves to belittle the US any way he can.