Part 6/10:
Attempts at shuttle diplomacy denote a continued hope from Washington that a workable truce might be forged despite the evident imbalance in the negotiating positions of the two countries. However, the U.S. appears to approach these talks with an unshakeable belief that there may still be a way to reach an agreement, reflecting a pattern of persistence in the face of clear indications that Putin operates under a fundamentally different premise—namely, a long-standing antagonism towards the West.