Negotiations with Moscow entered a hot phase during the G20 summit in Brisbane. On Saturday evening, November 15, Chancellor Angela Merkel visited President Vladimir Putin in his suite at the Hilton. The conversation lasted nearly four hours. At some point they were joined by the European Commission's chief Jean-Claude Juncker. Kremlin spokesman revealed that discussion focused on the Ukrainian crisis.
Apparently they did not reached a compromise. On Monday, November 17, Chancellor Merkel during her speech at the Australian Lowy Institute criticized Russians in the strongest terms.
The breakthrough came the next day in Moscow. German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, after his meetings with, first, Ukraine's president Poroshenko and PM Jaceniuk and then with Russian Foreign Minister, Lavrov, was about to fly out when he was invited to the meeting with Putin. It is assumed that during that meeting Putin agreed to Merkel's proposals.
The next day Steinmeier during his meeting with Polish Foreign Minister mentioned his meeting with Putin and underscore an importance of dialog with Russia because "security in Europe is only possible with Russia".
Next day, Chancellor Merkel used similar argument while meeting Polish PM, Ewa Kopacz.
Also Putin, during his meeting with a new Polish Ambassador to Russia declared a need of bringing Polish-Russian relations to the new level.
It appears that the effort is being made to convince Poland to support the new deal and therefore legitimize it so it not viewed as a new Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
Because we don't know any details of new deal we have to assume that it is because it is favorable only to Russia and Germany.
This assumption may be supported by an interesting behavior of Secretary John Kerry who supposedly told Russians: “Just ignore Obama’s statements.” Meaning, Obama's tough words are only for show. For "stupid" Americans.
