> we’re all scratching our heads The point is not for me and you to scratch our heads; the point is for the guys in the White House to scratch their heads. >

> we’re all scratching our heads The point is not for me and you to scratch our heads; the point is for the guys in the White House to scratch their heads. > It might be domestic political theatre It's not domestic; it's international political theatre. > for Macron’s benefit It's for Putin's benefit; it sends a "negotiate with me as others might be worse" signal to the West. Macron is not a beneficiary; he's a target audience. Having said all that to explain my point, the whole point might be wrong.