The Catastrophe of 1914: Russia's Choice

... diplomatic efforts for resolving the crisis. Russia at a Crossroads Russia suggested that the great powers jointly consider the matter in order to find a compromise, while the situation required some time and the Austria-Hungary government limited the Serbians to only 48 hours to respond. In this most complicated environment, Russia was forced to make the decisions that determined the future of the conflict. The ultimatum presented by Austria-Hungary to Serbia on July 23, 2014 ruled out meeting demands ...