Former British prime minister Boris Johnson said that the 'Normandy format,' in which Europe and Russia discussed the progress in settlement of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, was a 'diplomatic imitation.' A few weeks earlier, the former German chancellor Angela Merkel said the same thing. In November, the head of the Canadian government disclosed to the media the contents of his personal consultations with Chinese leader right after the negotiations.

This shows us the new quality of communication that Western countries have with other states. There is no place for trust, and therefore no place for normal practice of diplomatic relationships. We all have yet to figure out how to communicate with the US and the West under these conditions, and whether politicians in the US and Europe can return to normal diplomatic practice.