Putin might have blinked, but Russia can still attack Ukraine without warning

By Joel Gehrke

Published February 15, 2022 5:53pm ET

Putin might have blinked, but Russia can still attack Ukraine without warning — Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting on economic issue in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. | Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin, having raised the specter of a major military assault in an apparent bid to secure diplomatic concessions from Ukraine and NATO, might just have blinked.

“We are ready to work further together,” Putin said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We are ready to go down the negotiations track.”