At some point, the penny will drop & EU leaders will understand that Moscow no longer cares what they think. Various top officials publicly stated, last year, that Russia will no longer deal with the EU as a bloc, and will instead work on direct relations with member states. https://twitter.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1358488437641338886

The reason is simple: the EU has nothing to offer Moscow. Look at Nord Stream 2, for example? Opposed by the broad bloc, but supported by Germany, which is willing to ignore its EU allies to complete it. So, why would Russia bother with Brussels when it can go direct to Berlin?

What the EU has done, since 2014, is place major sanctions on Russia, over Ukraine. As Putin's team see it, the EU tried to hook Kiev into its orbit & then put punishments on Moscow when it acted to defend its regional interests.

Don't @ me: I am telling you what they think!

If the EU wants to engage with Russia, it needs to offer Moscow a roadmap to future cooperation. That means a recognition of mutual concerns & no more moral lecturing. @JosepBorrellF is a good person & he meant well by going to Moscow, but he's getting bad advice.