Russia offers an olive branch, but still wields the sword

HAS RUSSIA just blinked? Or is it just closing an eye the better to aim and squeeze the trigger? After weeks of relentless by Russian forces around Ukraine, and Western threats to impose unprecedented economic pain if they invade, a choreographed scene from the Kremlin has caught the attention of Western capitals. Sitting at the end of an interminably long table, of the sort that has become for Vladimir Putin’s diplomacy, the Russian president summoned his underlings to report on their progress. The foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, declared that the West’s response to Russia’s demands was disappointing, at times even insulting. But it had been shaken by Russia’s actions, Mr Lavrov noted, and America, in particular, had responded positively to at least some demands, notably over arms control in Europe. Talks could not drag on, but he “recommended” intensifying diplomatic contacts. “It seems to me that our possibilities are far from exhausted,” he declared, to approval from Mr Putin. Shortly thereafter Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister, said that some of Russia’s military exercises had ended and others were close to completion.