The prospect of engaging directly with Russia to end its war on Ukraine has once again faded as foreign affairs ministers of the European Union gather in Cyprus amid Moscow’s explicit threats to hit diplomatic missions in Kyiv.
The idea of direct talks, which has been on and off the political agenda since January, gained momentum earlier this month after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, frustrated by the White House's heavy focus on the Middle East, asked Europeans to speak with "one common voice" and appoint a designated envoy.
