(courtesy of smh.com.au)

For those hoping that all-out war in the Ukraine may still be averted, this weekend hasn’t been pretty.

Along Ukraine’s eastern border, Russian forces are now raising the stakes—and fears of an invasion along with them.

Still, U.S. and Russian leaders might (and that’s a BIG “might”) just find a way to defuse the crisis.

This Friday, Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin conversed by phone to discuss a diplomatic solution in the Ukraine. This Sunday, John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov will do the same in Paris.

 A peaceful conclusion to this test of nerves is by no means guaranteed.

But for now, the sabre-rattling is getting knees-knocking… and getting diplomacy moving.