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| - Brussels has been forced to defend its decision to send the EU's foreign policy chief to Moscow, after Josep Borrell faced an embarrassing diplomatic ambush. Borrell was given a rough ride Friday at a news conference and then, as he met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, found out that Russia was expelling three European diplomats. The former Spanish minister said the trip at least clarified that Europe and Russia are "drifting apart" and Moscow is not interested in a constructive dialogue. But was that insight worth the risk of humiliation? And what now for relations between Brussels and the Kremlin? Borrell insisted on making the trip to Moscow, the first by a top EU diplomat since 2017, despite calls to postpone from some eastern European nations. Berlin and Paris backed him in the face of worries that it sent the wrong message, as Moscow jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and detained thousands of protesters. The former Spanish foreign minister insisted he would deliver "clear messages" over the crackdown and wanted to sound out Russia over cooperation on other issues. But he got an ice-cold reception in snow-bound Moscow. At a torrid press conference, Borrell called for Navalny's release, but did little to counter a slew of criticism from his veteran Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Worse came afterwards when he found out via social media that Moscow was expelling three diplomats from Germany, Sweden and Poland for attending pro-Navalny protests. "Borrell's visit took place at the wrong time and in the wrong place," Andrus Ansip, a member of the European Parliament and former Estonian premier, tweeted. "He humiliated himself and the EU." Borrell's spokesman insisted the foreign policy chief had "no regrets" about going to Moscow -- and Brussels now knew clearly where it stood. "Diplomacy is about engaging, engaging also when it is not pleasant," spokesman Peter Stano said. In an angry blog post after his return to Brussels, Borrell said Moscow's behaviour showed it "did not want to seize this opportunity to have a more constructive dialogue with the EU". "We will have to draw the consequences, reflect carefully on the direction we want to give to our relations with Russia and proceed in a united manner with determination," he wrote. "As ever, it will be for member states to decide the next steps, and yes, these could include sanctions." The mauling in Moscow looks set to see pressure grow for sanctions over Navalny's imprisonment and EU foreign ministers will debate punitive measures against the Kremlin when they meet next on February 22. Diplomats say that if sanctions come they are likely to focus on those behind the crackdown. Some have suggested using the EU's new human rights sanctions regime for the first time to target those responsible. Despite Borrell's treatment, the 27 EU nations still struggle for consensus over Moscow. Leading economic power Germany has faced calls to scrap the major Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe. But Berlin -- despite seeing one of its diplomats turfed out this weekend -- remains adamant it will not halt construction on the mammoth project. Hungary, led by authoritarian populist Viktor Orban, has also recently broken with the rest of the bloc by approving Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus for use. "With these expulsions, the Russians are testing the capacity and the will of the EU to react ," a European diplomat said. "The EU is very divided because of its economic interests." The diplomat insisted there "will be a response", but there is some weariness over sanctions, years after the EU sought to punish Moscow for annexing Crimea in 2014 and fuelling the war in Ukraine. "They are under economic sanctions and this hasn't dissuaded them so far," the diplomat said. There are major issues where the EU and Russia could still work together. Top of the list is the Iran nuclear deal, which both sides are keen to salvage after former US leader Donald Trump withdrew Washington's participation in 2018. But these are likely to remain one-off exceptions -- and broader prospects for cooperation look bleak. EU leaders are set to review the bloc's overall approach to Russia when they meet in March and few can argue that the Kremlin hasn't been heard. "If Borrell had not gone to Moscow then some EU member states could have claimed that he did not make an effort and that if he had Moscow would have responded positively," said Susan Stewart, from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. "Now no one can claim that." del/dc/tgb
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