There was a small clue that indicated something unusual was happening in the Kremlin to which too few observers paid attention. Ten days ago Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a major speech on Ukraine and Russian foreign policy in Crimea. It had been much hyped in advance. The speech itself, when it came, was fairly pacific in tone. And it led to or even confirmed speculation that Russia was moving toward a diplomatic settlement of the Russo–Ukrainian war in talks planned for (and subsequently held on) Wednesday of this week.
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