No solution could be arrived at on this point, though Austria-Hungary made repeated efforts at mediation.

The negotiations had arrived at this stage when they were first interrupted on December 29.
On resuming the negotiations on January 6 the situation was little changed.

Kuehlmann's position was at any rate somewhat firmer than before, albeit only at the cost of some concessions to the German military party.

In these circumstances the negotiations, in which Trotski now took part as spokesman for the Russians, led only to altogether fruitless theoretical discussions and the right of self-determination, which could not bring about any lessening of the distance between the two firmly maintained points of view.

In order to get the proceedings out of this deadlock further endeavours were made on the part of Austria to arrive at a compromise between the German and Russian standpoints, the more so as it was generally, and especially in the case of Poland, desirable to solve the territorial question on the basis of complete self-determination.