Weimar Triangle revives in Berlin to discuss Ukraine

Presidents Andrzej Duda of Poland and Emmanuel Macron
of France and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met in Berlin on Feb. 8. The three
met under the aegis of the Weimar Triangle, Scholz told reporters, interfax.ua
reported on the same day.

Scholz told reporters that the group was meeting
because, “Our aspiration today in the framework of the Weimar Triangle is that
we want to de-escalate the extremely tense situation, we need negotiations and
solutions.” Macron stressed the need to continue the dialog with Russia and
maintain unity.

Duda specified that the Weimar Triangle met to “ensure
compliance with international law and preserve the territorial integrity of
those countries that are not members of the EU or NATO, but are our partners.”

James Hydzik: The Weimar Triangle was founded in 1991
to assist Poland with its transition from socialism. Since 2014, however, it
has met on occasion regarding crises in Europe, notably Brexit and the seizure
of Crimea.

Considering the Russians’ cavalier treatment of
Macron on his own while he was in Moscow as well as the need to compare notes
with Scholz, who visited Biden at the same time, it was wise to also bring Duda
in and revive the group. However, the diplomatic effort thus far has been a
warm-up for the need to engage in the next round of serious negotiations closer
to month end, when the Russian troop levels top 150,000.