The Wall Street Journal editorial board isn’t too happy with French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s decision to resume negotiations on the EU-Russia Partnership Cooperation Agreement without Russia having fulfilled the terms of the ceasefire.

Europe’s reversal is embarrassing on a number of levels. Russia hardly seemed bothered by the suspension in the first place — and wasn’t exactly begging Brussels to come back to the table.

Worst, though, were the rationales for resuming the talks, as offered by Mr. Sarkozy, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Perhaps anticipating the decision, Mr. Sarkozy noted on November 7 that the negotiations had not been suspended but “postponed” — and that this meant he and Mr. Barroso had the authority to decide how long the postponement would last. We’ll leave it up to France’s budding etymologist to decide whether his maneuvering should be labeled “invertebrate” or “spineless.”