Instead of making their current round of negotiations in Athens about picking a fight with Russia, EU Foreign Ministers are courting the Russian government to help them with the bailout of Ukraine.

German FM Frank-Walter Steinmeier said it was important for Russia to realize how close Ukraine is to becoming a “failed state,” and how undesirable it would be for Russia to have to deal with that on their border.

Some of the more hawkish nations pressed to impose more sanctions on Russia anyhow, with Lithuania FM Linas Linkevicius saying anything less would be a sign of weakness.

Yet there is an increasing recognition that the sanctions war would hurt the EU as much, if not more, than it hurts Russia, and as the EU looks at its post-regime change “prize” in the Ukraine, the staggering cost of a bailout for the country is making it look like less than a bargain.