“January 6, 1918.—­To-day we had the first discussions with the Ukrainian delegates, all of whom were present except the leader.  The Ukrainians are very different from the Russian delegates.  Far less revolutionary, and with far more interest in their own country, less in the progress of Socialism generally.  They do not really care about Russia at all, but think only of the Ukraine, and their efforts are solely directed towards attaining their own independence as soon as possible.  Whether that independence is to be complete and international, or only as within the bounds of a Russian federative state, they do not seem quite to know themselves.  Evidently, the very intelligent Ukrainian delegates intended to use us as a springboard from which they themselves could spring upon the Bolsheviks.  Their idea was that we should acknowledge their independence, and then, with this as a fait accompli, they could face the Bolsheviks and force them to recognise their equal standing and treat with them on that basis.  Our line of policy, however, must be either to bring over the Ukrainians to our peace basis, or else to drive a wedge between them and the Petersburgers.  As to their desire for independence, we declared ourselves willing to recognise this, provided the Ukrainians on their part would agree to the following three points:  1.  The negotiations to be concluded at Brest-Litovsk and not at Stockholm. 2.  Recognition of the former political frontier between Austria-Hungary and Ukraine. 3.  Non-interference of any one state in the internal affairs of another.  Characteristically enough, no answer has yet been received to this proposal!

“January 7, 1918.—­This forenoon, all the Russians arrived, under the leadership of Trotski.  They at once sent a message asking to be excused for not appearing at meals with the rest for the future.  At other times also we see nothing of them.  The wind seems to be in a very different quarter now from what it was.  The German officer who accompanied the Russian delegation from Dunaburg, Captain Baron Lamezan, gave us some interesting details as to this.  In the first place, he declared that the trenches in front of Dunaburg are entirely deserted, and save for an outpost or so there were no Russians there at all; also, that at many stations delegates were waiting for the deputation to pass, in order to demand that peace should be made.  Trotski had throughout answered them with polite and careful speeches, but grew ever more and more depressed.  Baron Lamezan had the impression that the Russians were altogether desperate now, having no choice save between going back with a bad peace or with no peace at all; in either case with the same result:  that they would be swept away.  Kuehlmann said:  ’Ils n’ont que le choix a quelle sauce ils se feront manger.’  I answered:  ‘Tout comme chez nous.’

“A wire has just come in reporting demonstrations in Budapest against Germany.  The windows of the German Consulate were broken, a clear indication of the state of feeling which would arise if the peace were to be lost through our demands.